Local traffic safety blitz underway By Lara O’Keefe
Volume 46 No. 21
January 24, 2017
AFTER THE deadliest year in almost a decade, the City of Toronto says it is taking action on road safety. According to the city, there were 77 fatalities in 2016 and between 2013 to 2016, the average number of traffic fatalities has been sitting at 64 people per year, representing a 10 year high. “The number of pedestrians and cyclists injured and killed by vehicles in our city last year is both alarming and unacceptable. We must do more to prevent these deaths and protect our residents across the city,” said Toronto mayor John Tory in a news conference earlier this month. “I am committed to making sure all those
who use our roads – pedestrians, cyclists and drivers – can get where they need to go as efficiently and safely as possible.” Echoing these concerns, Toronto Police 55 Division will be running a traffic safety project starting on Jan. 14, 2017 and continuing through to Dec. 31, 2017. The project began as a response to the “numerous complaints via social media and email about dangerous road conditions for pedestrians,” said Jon Morrice, crime prevention officer with the Toronto Police 55 Division. He said most of the complaints took place during the rush hour and at pedestrian crossovers. Continued on Page 2
He’s no baby to the cold Niles Koski has time for a smile while braving the cold waters of Lake Ontario for the 2017 Polar Plunge in support of Special Olympics Ontario January 21 at Woodbine Beach. Sponsored in part by Toronto Police Services, the Canada-wide event saw around 50 people take a dip in the lake locally and raised thousands of dollars. PHOTO: LARA O’KEEFE
Where have Toronto’s caricature artists gone? By Lara O’Keefe
AT ONE time, Danforth resident Pat James operated a flourishing business in downtown Toronto, putting smiles on the faces of tourists and residents alike as he drew a cartoon likeness of them while onlookers watched. But that was more than 20 years ago. In 2017, it’s a different story for street caricature artists, a group James laments is “near extinction.” One could take his statement as one of resignation, but from this man still so passionate about his work, it carries heat. “The unique style I have has not been noticed in a grand popular stage to make me obscenely wealthy,” said the 25-year veteran artist. “But [I love] what I do and the joy it brings others.” James, who was originally trained in portraiture, began his
career as a street artist in the early 1990’s, establishing himself first in Toronto at Yonge and Dundas square where he worked alongside at least 30 other artists. After spending 10 years at the famously t o u r i st - f i l l e d intersection, he and the other resident portrait artists were removed from the area among fears from the city that the rede– velopment of Yonge Street near the Eaton Centre would cause an influx of tourists, leading to an increase in pedestrian traffic and congestion. It was that lack of assurance from the city that helped James
make the decision to move to Old Montreal. But 15 years later, he is back in Toronto where the landscape looks much different than he had hoped with the sidewalks now largely void of street artists. “This summer season I was the only artist drawing outdoors,” he said. “I can now definitively state with much regret that except for me, every other portraitist and caricaturist Pat James no longer draws anymore in downtown Toronto.” In fact, according to city staff, there were two permits issued in 2016. James believes there are a number of reasons for this new reality including higher permit and insur-
“” “I love what I do and the joy it brings to others.”
ance fees, and poorly designated locations such as Bay and Front Street, York and Front Street, and Queen Street West near Spadina and Peter Street – he says these areas are often windy, polluted, dangerous at times, and lack the tourists required to achieve success. “The current system is biased against street artist improvements and progress,” he said. “It is impossible for many artists to function and earn a reasonable income.” Portrait and caricature artist James Gain, who studied Fine Arts at OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design) after graduating from Malvern Collegiate began his career drawing on the streets of Italy. He said it was shortly after returning home to Canada that he decided he would not be pursuing a career as a street artist.
PHOTO: PAT JAMES
Pat James has been drawing portraits like this for over 25 years.
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