Hey everyone,

My good friend Katherine Grainger and I have started a video blog called “That Night in Toronto“. The aim of the vlog is to go out and do as many cultural events in Toronto in one night as cheaply as possible.

As such, I’m not going to be posting many more entries here – but concentrate on creating a great vlog. I highly recommend you check it out!

Thanks for reading …

- Blair

If you like kids and/or Harbourfront, there’s a great opportunity to get some volunteer hours in this year. A friend of mine is working for the Kids programming department and they’re looking for volunteers to help out during HarbourKIDS! this year. Here’s the info:

HarbourKIDS!
May 17 – 19, 2008

The big idea for HarbourKIDS this May is Fearless! This action-packed festival celebrates and encourages bravery, pluckiness and courage in kids by showing them that anything is possible once they set their minds to it! There are plenty of exciting volunteer opportunities from May 13 – 19 including:

• Preparing décor and craft materials
• Working with our designer to assemble our FUNHOUSE
• Assisting facilitators with the Powerful Poetry and Fearless Funk Styles Dance Workshops
• Helping the kids with their own artistic creations including masks, costumes, noise makers and juggling balls
• Front of House and Usher positions for the amazing performances and presentations including Creepy Critters:Bugmania and the Kids’ Open Mic Poetry Jam
• And much more!

If you would like to be a part of this action-packed festival, please attend a recruitment session

on:    Monday, April 28, 2008
at:    6:30 pm
in:    Miss Lou’s Room, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West

Please email to volunteers@harbourfrontcentre or call 416-952-3625 to register for the recruitment session.

No. 9 and BGL Launch Environmental Art Project for Earth Day

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FUN, FREE AND CREATIVE TO DO AFTER SCHOOL ON EARTH DAY?

COME DOWN TO THE BANKS OF THE LOWER DON!

No. 9 Contemporary Art and the Environment has commissioned the acclaimed art collective BGL to create an art installation on the Lower Don, the most altered part of this urban river.  Inspired by this installation, No. 9 is hosting an Earth Day Event on the banks of the Lower Don, by the old Eastern Avenue bridge. 

Open to the general public April 22, from 3:30 – 5:30 pm, the event integrates environmental issues, art and social history.

Participants can create their own clay art in response to the BGL exhibit, and are also invited to go on an environmental walking tour of the Lower Don, and visit the displays by groups instrumental in the protection and revitalization of the Lower Don, such as the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Waterfront Toronto.

For information and directions to the site, please visit www.no9.ca.

Everyone is Welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!

Downsview Park, Earth Day Canada and Toronto and Region Conservation invite you to celebrate Earth Day at Downsview Park. Leave your legacy and help create a sustainable community for future generations by planting 2000 trees in Downsview Park’s Canada Forest. 

Earth Day at Downsview Park features environmentally-friendly exhibits, activities and entertainment – rain or shine – for the whole family!

Team Green Challenge

Help promote positive environmental action by organizing a group of friends, family members or coworkers to participate in our Team Green Challenge. Tree planting teams can compete to be the “largest group of planters” or the “most spirited group of planters”.

• Download Team Green registration form

For more information about Earth Day at Downsview Park or to register a team for the Team Green Challenge, contact Downsview Park at 416-952-2222 or info@pdp.ca.

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to let you know there’s a new Go Live Toronto podcast available direct to you from me. You can find it at Go Live Toronto or on iTunes.

A note from a friend of mine:

Looking for some new clothes? A computer? Lamp? Toys? Stereo? Record player? Good book to read? Christmas shopping early? Or just out for a stroll and need to support the upcoming Lab Cab Festival? Then come on down to the Lab Cab Garage Sale!!!!

1550 Queen St. West (next to Mitzi’s Sister @ Dowling)
Saturday, April 19th, 2008
10am-4pm

We will not be undersold!! You will not be disappointed!! Spread the word!! Exclamation!!!

The third annual Lab Cab Festival
May 31st & June 1st, 2008
12pm-6pm
Factory Theatre
FREE!!!

An interesting event is coming up which I thought was worth posting about … and it’s my City Councillor.

Toronto Women’s City Alliance and City Councillor Pam McConnell present

Making Equality Matter

Saturday April 5
1:00-3:00, City Hall Chambers, City Council
100 Queen Street West

Krishanti Dhamaraj is the co-founder of Women’s Institute for Leadership Development for Human Rights (WILD), an organization advancing human rights in the United States. With her leadership San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to pass legislation implementing the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The U.S. government has not yet ratified CEDAW.

While Canada was one of the first countries in the world to ratify CEDAW in 1980, we have yet to fully honour our commitments to women’s international and domestic human rights.

This event is endorsed by the North York Women’s Centre, National Action Committee on the Status of Women, Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Chinese Canadian National Council-Toronto Chapter, Project YouthTube, Community Social Planning Council of Toronto, Toronto & York Region Labour Council. Financial support provided by Status of Women Canada.

I am a self-proclaimed transit enthusiast. I am fascinated by urban transit; how it works, the vehicles used, how engaged the public is with their transit system. While I can’t speak for other cities, I know for certain that the Toronto Transit Commission has a huge cult following in the city. There are tons of great blogs and magazines about our system including Steve Munro’s tranist blog, Spacing Magazine, and Transit Toronto to name a few …

And then, a group of people got together and created something called Transit Camp. One of those people, Mark Kuzniki is a colleague of mine at the Centre for Social Innovation and just announced a project which arose out of the momentum of Transit Camp: Metronauts.

Metronauts.ca is an open community of people from across the sprawling greater Toronto region who care about the future of their cities. Metronauts are explorers of the future form of our cities and the role transportation has in our lives.

What is a Transit Camp? It is a style of unconference, where participants create the content of the sessions throughout the day. The event structure is open and fueled by participation. Propose a session on a topic you’re passionate about and engage your fellow participants in conversation. Participation can also mean active listening, and recording of sessions, but there are no observers.
Participants are asked to sign the Metronauts Pledge as a commitment to help create a positive environment for everyone.

Oh yeah… and there’s a new Go Live Toronto podcast episode up and running. Check it out.

I just got an e.mail from Schmap!! Canada saying they had decided to use a photo I had taken of the ROM and posted on Flickr for their website to describe Yorkville. Fun! You can see the site here.