The TTC Strike - My Calm and Rational Thoughts (honestly!)

I will try to keep this short. Last night I attended a Hot Docs screening at the Rom theatre. After the screening a festival volunteer came in and told us we better get out of the theatre if we wanted to take transit. It was 11:15 and the TTC was going on strike in 45 minutes.

The huge network of buses, trains and streetcars responsible for getting people home safely was going on strike, on a Friday night, with barely an hour’s notice. Few bars, clubs, restaurants, and movie theatres were able to give their patrons a warning. At midnight - exactly when most people start thinking about getting home and sleeping off their fun - the TTC left everyone stranded.

Thanks to our Hot Docs volunteer, we were able to catch one of the last trains going North and made it home with minutes to spare. Then we tuned into CP24 coverage of the strike. We watched drunk (and, as time passed, drunker) citizens trying to hail cabs and call family. There were young women teetering around in high heels, trying to rouse themselves for the long walk home to Scarborough.

Union president Bob Kinnear said, in part, that they didn’t give us a warning because their employees experienced “verbal and sometimes physical abuse” when they gave a warning last time. They were concerned for the employees safety. What about our safety? What about the poor drunk kids who had to hoof it home from the downtown core? A lot of us don’t have family nearby and our friends are also TTC reliant. It’s one thing to know “hey, I can’t go out because the TTC isn’t running”. It’s a whole other thing to realize you can't get home in the middle of the night.

Now, I must make a comment on behalf of the TTC. I know this is a union thing and I don’t want to see TTC employees abused. Verbal and physical assault should not be tolerated. When a TTC employee is injured on the job, I think it’s fair for them to get full pay while they are off work. And all the people who say that TTC employees should be “nicer” and provide unflinchingly cheerful service have obviously never worked with the public. As someone with more than a few years retail experience, I can tell you that employees are just people with the same problems you have, trying to put up with strangers who can be real jerks. Don’t think your metropass bought you indentured servants.

That being said, it has since come to light that the main issue behind the strike was job security for the maintenance staff. Well, here’s a news flash for the union members, everyone is losing their job security. At least TTC staff get good hourly wages, raises, benefits, and pensions. That’s a lot more than most people who rely on the TTC can say about their own employment. You may lose your job? Join the effing club. It’s a new global economy and everyone can be out sourced. We can’t expect any company to take care of us for the rest of our lives.

Finally (did I say this would be short? Sorry), the really sad thing about the strike is how it further damages the goodwill awarded to TTC employees for their service. Most people in Toronto want the TTC to be happy. We keep paying more for our fare. Even when the most drunk and disorderly of us are left stranded on a Friday night, we don’t riot or react violently. We’re mostly nice people but there’s only so much we’ll take. I’m not going to pretend I know all the issues currently plaguing the union negotiations but I do know that it’s time to make the TTC an essential service (and / or privatized). We’re a middle class city full of people who work hard. We just want to get home (and to Hot Docs screenings) safely and without paying more than we can afford. It shouldn't be an impossible, or conditional, request.

More Human than Human

If I were any good at blogging, I would have posted this last week. However, there is still time to catch the final, final, THIS TIME WE MEAN FINAL cut of Blade Runner here in Toronto at the Regent Theatre. This is, (as far as I can tell) the only chance to see the remastered cut on the big screen in Canada. I saw it last weekend and it kicked ass. It kicked replicant ass. The picture quality was amazing, and the score totally blew me away. The Regent is a single screen theatre so they can really crank the sound. Also, I give the whole experience bonus points because I saw Atom Egoyan coming out of the early show.

So go to the Regent (on Mount Plesant near Davisville) before Blade Runner leaves this Friday. I would give a review of the film, but most of you know the film and if you're a fan you will not be disappointed. I'll also say that this review is exactly the opposite of how I feel. In this review (posted in a national paper no less) the reviewer is under the impression that only meta nerds will want to see Blade Runner's final cut. He also thinks that experiencing Blade Runner "ironically" is best, because God forbid you try to stretch your mind a bit and see it as having a message beyond "hey, look at the gay android in the rain, heh, heh".

Visions of a future dystopian society? There's a Visine for that.
If you do decide to go, please note that it's not a good idea to bring your ten year old to see Blade Runner. It's a heavy movie, and I got pretty tired of hearing the kid in front of me ask his dad "is he dead?" every ten minutes during the screening. Seriously dude. Leave the kid at home next time.

Doc Soup Heats Up

Alternate titles for the post:

Grab a Spoon and some Righteous Indignation - Doc Soup is On!

Doc Soup: Now with 20% more vitamin TRUTH.

Eh, I amuse myself at least. My point is that the Doc Soup 2007 season begins October 3rd and it's not too late to buy a subscription. I think the Doc Soup / Hot Docs combo is one of the best movie deals in town; 7 Doc Soup screenings plus your choice of 10 Hot Docs screenings for only $140 plus tax. That's six dollars a ticket or something. What am I, a calculator? All I know is that it's a lot cheaper than going to TIFF or even seeing a regular Hollywood movie. Plus, only Doc Soup makes the long, cold winter even more depressing with monthly screenings about people throwing themselves off bridges, or (spot the theme!) joining a cult and commiting mass suicide.

I love docs, but when February (that darkest and bleakest of months) arrives, is it so difficult to screen a documentary about kittens running through meadows? Maybe a feature about happy people playing ukelales? This year's Doc Soup kicks off with the "inside story" about the American occupation in Iraq. The film is called No End in Sight, so, you know, I'm expecting a barrel of laughs.

I kid, I kid. I really do look forward to Doc Soup every year and I'm sure this first feature will give me plenty to reflect on and cry about next time I get depressed about the state of the world. Okay, I'm still kidding. Depression is a comedy goldmine! I've heard some really good things about No End in Sight, and I will share my thoughts about the film very soon.

Check out the Doc Soup website to find info on buying single tickets, or passes for the whole Doc Soup season.

TTC, ya you know me.

Today was supposed to be relatively quiet in the office, and between registering patients I was going to research the recent TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) funding crisis and write an informed, opinionated piece on this worthy subject. Once I sat down at work, however, fate took a hand and the phone began ringing off the hook with people who wanted to know where their contact lenses were, why I was booking so far ahead, and if I thought it was fair that OHIP no longer covered eye exams. The afternoon culminated in a surprise almost appointment with diva chanteuse Sarah Brightman. Unfortunately, her handlers "couldn't find her" (damn you phantom! Leave that woman alone!) and I was left to imagine what witty things I would have said to the woman who married the man who brought us Cats. I have "I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper" on my iPod, so a cleaver Hot Gossip reference could have at least started the conversation.

In a perfect world, this would have been the theme song for the Paul Verhoeven film Starship Troopers. Am I right people? Eh? Eh?!...
Whoo hoo! Bugs!
At the end of my slightly surreal day I had no energy nor time left to research my piece. Then I remembered - hey! This is the internet! No one researches, or in my case reads, what I write anyway. This is a blog. I could say Britney Spears owns sixteen cats and named them all after snack cakes and no one would care. It's the wild west and anything goes baby! So here's what I think about the TTC funding crisis, based mostly on thirty second CP24 updates, and heavily influenced by last nights Family Guy episode where Peter gets hired by the news to do a nightly segment called "You Know What Really Grinds my Gears". Enjoy.

You know what really grinds my gears?! The TTC. Hey, don't get me wrong, I use the TTC. I use it every day and whether it's getting up to let old people have my seat, or MINDING THE GAP that could (presumably) swallow me whole, I am a pretty considerate transit rider. I take the subway, the bus and the streetcar. I read the free newspaper and then when I'm done I carry it out and recycle that bad boy like a good citizen. Don't tell me I don't know transit.

So the TTC is freaking out yet again about funding. Not enough money. Never mind that the TTC is more popular than ever, there's still not enough money to keep the rockets rolling. Mayor Miller's land transfer tax was shut down and now the only other option (apparently) is to cancel bus lines, route extensions, and shut down an entire arm of the subway. The new Sheppard line to be exact. The part of the subway they just paid billions of dollars to dig out and build less than ten years ago. Brilliant.

If they close the Sheppard line, how are the good people of Toronto supposed to get to IKEA? Won't somebody think of the children?!
But here's the part that really ... um... cranks my stereo. All this commotion and fear mongering is really a political ploy to get provincial leaders now running for the fall election to promise Toronto more funding. Libraries and community centres are closing on off days for the same reason. Now I'm not saying we don't need the money. I'm saying where the hell did the money go, and what are our options? Mayor Miller's strong arm tactics to get his tax plan accepted does little to explain why we're in this mess to begin with. I know the funding crisis is not entirely his fault, and I know Toronto has been in the red for years, but I feel a little too manipulated by political forces who are quick to point the finger at each other while leaving the public in the dark. And without library books.

But back to the TTC. The icing on this whole messy cake is the stance taken by TTC officials that the reason we are going to get even more over crowded bus rides home (otherwise known as "the groping hour"), and fewer convenient stops is because we, the paying public, bought too many monthly passes when we should be buying single fares. That's right. We're to blame for the funding problems because of our blasted basic math skills. Do you know that a single ride on the TTC costs $2.75? Round trip is over five bucks. A monthly pass is still just under $100. It's not a huge savings, but for regular commuters the deal is obvious. The TTC has increased fares multiple times since I moved to Toronto five years ago. We keep paying and rider ship keeps increasing. Instead of the customer is always right, the TTC seems to think the customer is the only reason why they can't make a decent profit.

So, to summarise, the faulty logic of the TTC is to cut routes, schedules and service. Thus, commuters get longer wait times, crowded trains, and less convenience for a price that is more expensive than other cities of similar size. This leads to fewer commuters on the TTC, and more cars congesting our roads and air. OR, and here's the wacky idea from a kid with no economics background at all, the TTC could keep all services, expand routes that are in desperate need, and charge more for a monthly pass. The TTC just finished a survey of users and found most people wanted a fare increase over decreased service. We're asking to pay more so that we can keep using the TTC. Take advantage of our good will!

In summary of the summary: TTC should charge more and get more money from provincial powers without cutting service, and Mayor Miller should back off with his land transfer tax and start giving the people of Toronto other options. Or just instigate the damn tax if you really want. I rent an apartment so I won't even have to pay the tax. I'm too poor to own a house in this city, what with the cost of daily transit.

Also in summation - Starship Troopers is an awesome movie and should be seen by everyone.
And that's what really grinds my gears.

A Tribute to Honest Ed

Honest Ed Mirvish passed away yesterday morning at the age of 92. He left a wife and son, a rejuvenated theatre district, a huge discount store that lights up Bathurst, and a legacy of giving out free turkeys at Christmas. I'm going to miss Honest Ed.

It's hard to know what to say about Ed that won't be said in the news anyway. He worked his way up from scratch and didn't let early failures dissuade him. He saved and rebuilt the theatre district in Toronto. He pioneered the "loss leader" merchandise, and his store sold those awesome, slightly warped Elvis busts you used to see everywhere. He was generous, and humble, and gave everyone free cake at his birthday party. He was a ballroom dancer, and he stayed married to his true love for 65 years.

Most of all, Ed wanted people to be happy. He made lots of money, sure, but he let us enjoy the success with him. He sold two for one tickets to his theatre shows on mother's day. He built affordable restaurants to give families a complete "night out" when they went to see a show. His huge discount store is not only the place to find marked down tupperware and strange, exotic canned goods; it also houses piles of slightly demented porcelain dogs, and groan-out-loud slogans like "Honest Ed is for the Birds! He's CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!" How can you shop in Honest Ed's and not have fun?

A few years ago I attended Ed's birthday party with my husband. The day was hot, and the crowds were huge along the closed streets. Although the atmosphere could have bred impatient words and disgruntled families, everywhere I looked people were smiling and happy. We waited half an hour for a free hot dog but it was fun! Kids were running around with balloons, and a live band kept our feet tapping. I saw people from many different cultures that day, and heard snippets from dozens of different languages. Everyone was invited to share the joy of Ed’s carefree street party. Ed arrived and we sang him happy birthday. He was so warm and gracious even at his advanced age and under the hot sun. He was the perfect host and made us all feel like welcome friends. I wish I had a chance to meet him personally, but I feel like I knew him anyway.

Ed was a character and a true eccentric. We don't get many of them, and I'm grateful he made Toronto his home. He will be missed but not forgotten.