Local resident has raised ‘mo’ than $75,000 for cause

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Bay Street is a competitive place to begin with. As Rick McCreary can attest to, it becomes even more so when you add a compelling men’s health cause to the mix — oh yeah, and moustaches.

“Bankers have lots of bravado, so it was a good thing to capitalize on that bravado,” he says.

McCreary, a local resident, got involved in “Movember” through his former employer, CIBC. In 2009, his first year growing a ’stache to raise awareness and cash for Prostate Cancer Canada, he brought in roughly $30,000. Last year, after collecting nearly $50,000, he clinched the title of top Canadian fundraiser. Collectively, his work’s team raised more than $250,000.

“The success of my fundraising activities was due to a lot of support from mining clients and particularly those where it had affected them personally,” he says.

Although McCreary has since moved on to a new job, he is no less committed to the cause, with plans to fundraise again this year. His goal? To bring in as much cash as possible for Prostate Cancer Canada.

“I supported it because, one, it’s a very important cause,” he says. “It’s obviously an important cause for men’s health, and because it was a CIBC-sponsored initiative, it was something that obviously I felt was important.”

Movember, a phenomenon that started in Australia, is a campaign in the month of November that sees men grow their most impressive moustaches to create awareness around prostate cancer, all while fundraising for the cause. In Canada, the bulk of the money collected by participants goes to Prostate Cancer Canada, which supports public awareness, programs and research into prevention and treatment of the disease.

As McCreary points out, the inventive awareness strategy behind Movember has paid off.

“Obviously CIBC has lots of clients on Bay Street, with lots of guys going around with half-moustaches on, and it generated a buzz,” he says. “Then it turned into, effectively, a greater competition between the banks on Bay Street.”

Movember has grown considerably over the past couple of years, raising the profile of a pressing men’s health issue that might not otherwise get discussed.

While McCreary is aware of those with personal stories relating to prostate cancer, it’s not something that is always shared. “But when you start on a cause like that, you hit a good nerve with people,” he says. “And that’s what it was: it either affected them personally, their father … it has a genetic relationship and it affects generations of families.”

Others, he says, are simply happy to be able to get behind such an important men’s health issue.

McCreary is modest about his fundraising efforts and credits those who felt strongly about the cause and decided to support his personal campaign.

“I’m obviously very happy for the cause and happy for Prostate Cancer Canada, to be able to assist them,” he says.

Council rejects 48 storeys near Yonge & Eglinton

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A rezoning application to permit a 48-storey apartment building on the northeast corner of Eglinton Avenue West and Duplex Avenue was recently rejected at North York Community Council. City of Toronto staff wrote in a final report that the plans would overintensify the site and that it didn’t act as a transition to adjacent lower-scale uses.

After lowering the height of the original 53-storey proposal in May, Premium Properties Limited appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) when the city failed to respond. The application was to go on to Toronto City Council for final consideration late last month.

Local councillor Karen Stintz said that the current plans require significant revision. She pointed to the density, which is 22.9 times the area of the lot, as well as to traffic concerns relating to the use of a car stacker. The mechanical device parks vehicles in a way that increases parking capacity, and in this case, would accommodate five levels of underground parking.

“This [would be] the most dense building in the entire area,” Stintz said.

Bruce Engell, a lawyer for the applicant, said his client redesigned the building to address concerns about the original proposal and remains open to “meaningful” dialogue.

“Certainly the applicant is of the view that it’s an appropriate development in the growth centre. That’s where this kind of development is supposed to be,” Engell said.

Tom Cohen, president of the Eglinton Park Residents Association, cited a handful of design issues and described the proposed apartment building as being far too big. “If you put this building in, at two times the height of the Berkshire, which is the [22-storey apartment] building on Duplex, it just eats the sky,” he said. “It makes a very, very different impression on a residential neighbourhood from the much-discussed tall Minto tower.” The Minto lines up with other buildings to cast a single shadow on Orchard View Boulevard, Cohen explained.

Bayview & Sheppard plans raise traffic fears

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Locals are expressing concerns about a 29-storey residential building proposed for the northwest corner of Bayview Avenue and Sheppard Avenue, in advance of a public consultation meeting slated for late fall or early spring. Currently, the site across the road from Bayview Village Shopping Centre is occupied by a three-storey commercial building.

Owner Mallpaks Development has applied to tear it down to make way for a tower containing 220 units as well as a connecting five-storey office building and 320 parking spaces. The development requires an official plan amendment to remove the parcel of land from the Clairtrell Area Context Plan and to increase the permitted density from a floor space index of 3.0 to 4.33 and the height from 14 to 15 storeys to 29 storeys.

Michael Shulman, vice-president of the Willowdale Homeowners’ Association, lives one street north of the subject lands on Mallingham Court. Shulman acknowledged that the owner is within his right to put up a new building on the site, but Shulman raised concerns about the scale of the proposed development. With the height being roughly two times what the site is zoned for in the Clairtrell Area Context Plan, he is worried about the impact it would have on area traffic and property values.

“Traffic is just unbearable. This intersection has got to be one of the absolute worst in the entire city,” Shulman said. “If a 29-storey building comes in and 320 parking spaces are allocated, there are going to be 320 cars and it’s absurd to think anything other than that.”

Local councillor John Filion echoed Shulman’s view about the scale of the proposed development.

“It’s too big and it doesn’t conform to the planning policies for the area,” Filion explained. He would like to see the application revised. Joe Skapura, of Mallpaks Development, declined to comment on the project, indicating that plans for the site are still in their “infancy.”

Local museum’s future up in the after eviction

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The Canadian Air and Space Museum has shuttered its doors and may resort to selling their artifacts if a deal can’t be made with their former landlords following their eviction, according to one official.

“We might as well just sell everything off,” said Robert Cohen, CEO of the Canadian Air and Space Museum. The museum needs to be near a runway, he said, which means finding another location will be next to impossible.

The dispute dates back to September when the museum, six months behind in rent, was served with a notice of eviction.

This came as a shock to museum employees, said Cohen. He added that he thought they had worked out a deal with the building’s landlords, crown corporation Parc Downsview Park (PDP) but then found the locks changed on Sept. 20.

They had begun the process of repaying the rent, he said. “This isn’t a matter about paying our rent. We can pay it.”

PDP board chair David Soknacki said the building is in disrepair and would cost millions to fix. The crown corporation has leased the land, for the next 25 years, to a private company that will build a four-pad hockey arena on it to help address the city’s arena shortage. The park won’t ask the museum to pay the owed rent and will allow museum staff limited access to the site in order to fulfill prior obligations and reservations.

The museum recently received support from Toronto City Council when it passed a motion asking the federal government to intervene.

Willowdale councillor David Shiner, who seconded the city’s motion, said, “This is a building that was built by taxpayers, on land that was paid for by taxpayers. [The] least they can do is leave the museum there instead of building a commercial arena.”

Cohen said the museum is already fielding calls from buyers interested in its prized Avro Arrow replica — the only one in existence. The North York Soccer Association, among others, are also being evicted.

Plans for new cell tower raise safety concerns

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Local councillors and residents’ groups are questioning the safety and location of cellphone towers in the Bayview Glen area following a proposal from Bell Mobility to erect another tower near Green Lane and Guardsman Road.

“I hope it doesn’t end up going up,” said Howard Shore, Ward 2 councillor. “The one on Bayview Avenue went up without any consultation with the community. These towers are monstrosities.”

Shore said the cell tower, currently on the northeast corner of Bayview Avenue near Laureleaf Road, is just under the maximum height limitations, and that Town of Markham staff were previously unaware of Bell Mobility’s plans to erect a new one.

Ultimately, the cellphone towers’ size is regulated by a federal agency, Industry Canada, while Health Canada determines their proximity to residential communities. “We’ve been told by the government that there are no health concerns,” said Toinette Bezant, a spokesperson from the Bayview Glen Residents’ Association. “But the World Health Organization classifies radio frequencies as carcinogenic. They say it’s possible, but unlikely, so it’s still a bit of a grey area.” Bezant named nearby schools and soccer fields as her main concern, and wants Bell Mobility to consult with the community before the new towers are erected.

Coun. Shore approached Bell Mobility with an alternative solution, citing a tower at a nearby church, and suggested installing antennas above a condominium tower. “The provider claims they need a certain height,” Shore said. “You don’t need the whole rocket ship, you just need the antenna,” he also said. “If there’s zero health issues and zero concerns, then why do they resist the alternative?” Shore added that after he approached Industry Canada, he was told that “reasonable and relevant concerns exclude health-related issues.”A Bell Mobility spokesperson said they comply with regulations from Industry Canada.

Local residents top 100 wealthiest list

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North Toronto residents feature prominently on Canadian Business magazine’s latest annual ranking of the country’s 100 wealthiest. Even with a dip in fortunes, Rosedale’s Thomson family and Galen Weston Sr. clinched the first and second slots, respectively.

The Thomson family, topping the list for a 13th straight year, had a reported net worth of $21.34 billion. This was a drop of 8.7 per cent from the previous year. Weston, at $8 billion, saw a decrease of 5.8 per cent.

North Toronto’s Allan Slaight and power couple Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman, also made the list, snagging the 28th and 36th spots, respectively. Other local notables in the top 100 are the Rogers and Reichmann families.

James Cowan, deputy editor of Canadian Business, explained that, since many of these families come from old money, built up over multiple generations, one bad year doesn’t really have a big impact on their ranking the way it might on the newly affluent.

“The old saying about the rich getting richer actually happens to be true in this case,” Cowan said.

Sporting Life owner and former partner at odds over race

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In the city’s effort to spread out races that require major road closures, a negotiated change in dates that bumped Sporting Life Toronto 10K from its usual slot has put former collaborators, Alan Brookes of Canada Running Series, and David Russell, of Sporting Life, at odds.

Brookes, executive director of Canada Running Series, is behind the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and four other local annual races. He said he has run a spring 10-kilometre race in Toronto for the last 26 years. Sporting Life came on board as a sponsor 14 years ago. When Brookes spoke with city staff, he said he learned that Jay Glassman, who runs the other major fall road race, was volunteering to move the Toronto Goodlife Fitness Marathon to the spring. But Glassman wanted the Sporting Life 10K date.

Russell of Sporting Life was upset when he found out that Brookes gave it up without consulting them. He said he then applied for a permit to move Sporting Life’s 10K to May 13 and approached Brookes about remaining involved in the race, but in a different role as a contractor. Russell later found out that Brookes had applied to the city for the Toronto Yonge Street 10K, on the same route, on April 22.

“We sell running shoes. I’m all for races … but the problem is, these charities have become such a big part of these things that it’s not fair in terms of putting two or three alongside of one,” he said.

Brookes said that what Russell had in mind didn’t fit with his format. But he added he would be happy to have Sporting Life and Camp Oochigeas rejoin his 10K.

“We went back to all of our sponsors … and said we need to do this in order to create peace in the valley,” Brookes said. “We were trying to be the good guys in all of this and make the whole system work.”

After the change in dates, Russell felt that Sporting Life needed greater control over the event, but his main concern was donor fatigue. In the event that there is a second spring 10K, he would like Sporting Life’s to be first, so he has also applied for a permit for April 22. Through the run, his company has supported Camp Oochigeas, a camp for children with cancer, since 2004. Last year, it raised $1.3 million.

Brookes didn’t think a change in dates would impact Camp Oochigeas’s fundraising ability, pointing to its rapidly rising figures, up from $100,000 about five years ago. Local councillor Karen Stintz would prefer to see one 10-kilometre spring race.

“I told them … the stakes are high. There are charities that rely on this race. It is imperative that you work this out,” she said.

Steve Johnston, a media spokesperson for City of Toronto: Transportation Services, said all permit applications for 2012 road races are currently under review.

Hazelton Lanes sold for approximately $110 million

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First Capital Realty, a company that develops, owns and operates plazas and shopping centres anchored by drugstores and supermarkets such as Shopper’s Drug Mart and Sobeys, has purchased the upscale Hazelton Lanes for approximately $110 million.

The 205,000 square-foot shopping centre, whose anchor tenant is Whole Foods, is located in the heart of Yorkville.

First Capital also recently bought up plazas and shopping centres in Calgary and Edmonton. The company has spent a reported $381 million on acquisitions to date this year.

“We see tremendous repositioning and rent growth opportunities in Hazelton Lanes shopping centre, and all three properties are exactly in line with our acquisition strategy,” said Dori Segal, president and CEO of First Capital.

Gordon Driedger, senior vice-president Central Canada of First Capital, said it was too early to talk about any potential plans the company may have in store for Hazelton Lanes.

Forest Hill to get new 26,000-square-foot synagogue

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Construction has begun on a new 26,000-square-foot synagogue and community centre in Forest Hill. The current location, an office above a Starbucks on Spadina Road, near Lonsdale Road, has long been too small for the growing membership, said Rabbi Elie Karfunkel.

“As soon as we moved into the [current location], we put our eye on something more permanent,” he said.

The new building, to be located on Spadina just north of St. Clair Avenue West, is modelled after the Jaslo synagogue in Poland, which was burned to the ground during the Second World War. The idea came from Karfunkel’s wife, who proposed the classic and regal structure for the neighbourhood.

“We wanted something with great character,” he said.

He makes it clear that this is not just a synagogue, but a community centre for Jews in the area. The four-storey building will have a rooftop patio, an occasion floor, a shul (place of prayer), a library, a museum and a number of classrooms.

Synagogue member Matt Simmons said he’s most excited for having a place people can celebrate their life cycles, such as their bat and bar mitzvahs.

The $12 million it will cost to build the centre was raised through private donations. Broader community fundraising efforts to support day-to-day operations have begun in earnest with the hiring of a full-time fundraising co-ordinator, said Rabbi Joel Wardinger, the centre’s executive director. Support for the community has been overwhelming, said Karfunkel, who looks forward to opening the centre in about a year.

“There is a bit of an urban renaissance for the Jewish community right now,” said Wardinger. He notes a number of young Jewish professionals and families have returned to downtown. “[The centre] will provide a real base for the young, vibrant community.”

Diet doctor settles lawsuit with ex–business partner

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Dr. Stanley Bernstein, the well-known local who runs a number of diet clinics, has struck a settlement with his former business partner. In a statement of claim, he accused Dr. Scott Seagrist of breaching confidentiality agreements he had signed when they began working together. He also accused Seagrist of using copyrighted material, customer lists and trade secrets in the operation of a competing weight loss centre.

Bernstein was seeking damages of more than $10 million from Seagrist and his wife, Randy Jo Wilcox.

Seagrist and Wilcox denied the claims, maintaining that any information that was being used in the operation of their clinic was prior knowledge, publicly available or not a trade secret.

Seagrist and Wilcox made a counter claim for more than $10 million, alleging that Seagrist was constructively dismissed.

“We did come to a mutual agreement, and we’re both pleased with the result,” Bernstein said.

Jonathan Rosenstein, the lawyer who represented Seagrist and his wife, said his clients are happy with the settlement, as it will allow them to continue on with their business.

Neither party disclosed the specifics of the settlement agreement.

Why are comedians a joke to arts grant administrators?

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The blogs were ablaze recently as Terry Clement, one of Toronto’s most outspoken comics, asked a question that hit a nerve in the Canadian comedy community.

“Why aren’t stand-up comics eligible for government grants?” The question was part of a larger concern that Clement had regarding the lack of respect for comedians. But it was the question that received hundreds of replies.

To my knowledge, no stand-up has ever received any government moolah.

Some years ago, this was the concern of the late, great philanthropist Bluma Appel, and the two of us slogged through many meetings with many bureaucrats before we gave up from exhaustion. But I did get some answers, none of which would probably satisfy Clement and company.

There is a bias among granting institutions against what is considered the “popular arts.” This would include comedy, of course, but also, for example, pop music, wrestling and video game design. Grants, argue the cultural mandarins, should go to more “serious” work. Since comedy is, by definition, the antithesis of serious, the art form is at a disadvantage.

The cleavage between non-profit and for-profit is another bias that runs deep in the granting community. Comedians live in a market-driven world, which implies a financially stable one. But just because they dwell in the for-profit sector doesn’t mean their careers are profitable. Many comics have incomes below the poverty line. When I explained that fact to one bureaucrat, he replied that — compared to most poets, actors and dancers — comics are comparatively wealthy. True, perhaps, but grim nevertheless.

I was also told that grants aren’t usually given to individual artists, but that they are given to support specific projects that they do. Since comics evolve their material over time and not, for example, as an actor developing a new show, comedians are at a disadvantage.

There’s no reason, of course, that a comic couldn’t try obtaining a grant this way, under the umbrella of “theatre.” Let’s say Clement wanted to devise an entirely new 40-minute set, and it had a theme of multiculturalism across the country. If he had the patience to fill out all the forms (a daunting task to those used to the simplicity of the free market) he might get some cash for travel and accommodation.

But let’s say Clement was more interested in exploring surreal or controversial topics. The people who give out grants are familiar with controversial topics treated seriously — there’s that word again! But to get laughs playing with taboo ideas? That would make even the most enlightened bureaucrat uncomfortable at best.

If a comic develops a TV show or movie, there are grants embedded within the system to help with the development and production costs. Comedy, drama, reality show, it wouldn’t make a difference. But I think what comics are agitating for is something simpler and more direct. And I seriously doubt that their time will come.

We’re moving into a world where grants of all kinds are on the chopping block. It’s happening quietly at all levels all across the country.

The comedian’s life is a tough one financially. Not everyone can be Russell Peters. It seems to be stardom or starvation. Not much of a choice, really, but that, as they say, is showbiz.

Post City Magazines’ humour columnist, Mark Breslin, is the founder of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs, and the author of several books, including Control Freaked.

CSI Toronto

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If a look at the television ratings tells us anything, it is that people are fascinated with the world of the forensic pathologist — even if it’s tarted up for TV. We tracked down Dr. Michael Pickup, the city’s finest, of the Provincial Forensic Pathology Unit to ask him a few questions.

What is a forensic pathologist?
A medical doctor trained in the effects of injury and disease on the body in the context of the law.

What does a typical day at work look like for you?
We start the morning doing rounds, where forensic pathologists, coroners and trainees look at cases that have arrived in the department.

What is an autopsy?
The word “autopsy” comes from the Greek, meaning “to see for oneself.” A forensic autopsy has five parts. The first part consists of examining and evaluating the scene and the circumstances surrounding the death. This usually involves looking at photographs of the scene, but — in certain circumstances — may require performing a scene visit. The second deals with the external examination.

And then what?
The third part is the internal examination. This is the part most people recognize as an autopsy. We make a Y-shaped incision on the body from the shoulders down the chest and over the abdomen, down to the pelvis. We then remove the breast plate to examine and then take out all of the internal organs. The organs are then examined individually and weighed. We report any evidence of disease or injury seen in the internal organs. In a case of a gunshot wound, for example, we describe the track of the bullet inside the body, paying particular attention to the presence of internal bleeding and injured organs. We then take out the brain and examine the brain for injury or disease.

So how long does this take?
It varies. A routine autopsy, one with an obvious cause of death, runs about an hour. A complicated one, one with various injuries and underlying disease, can take up to two days.

Have you ever had a case you couldn’t crack, or is that just TV lingo?
Contrary to television and some magazines, the autopsy doesn’t always show the answer. For a certain proportion of cases, we don’t see an anatomical or toxicological cause of death. A person doesn’t necessarily have visible signs of why they died. Some people may have electrical disturbances in their heart without a structural abnormality, or metabolic abnormalities that are impossible to prove after death.

How realistic are TV shows such as CSI and Bones?
They tend to sensationalize what we do. We’re medical doctors. We don’t have the paparazzi around us. We turn the lights on in the post-mortem room rather than using flashlights. We don’t wear high heels. Due to these shows, the public perception of us has changed. People and, on occasion, the courts can have unrealistic expectations of what we can and cannot do. On CSI, they can get results on DNA samples in a few hours. In real life, we need a few weeks at the very least, sometimes months. It takes us two to three weeks for a toxicology report that on TV was instantly conclusive with a colour change when two liquids are mixed together. You can’t rush science.

What makes a good forensic pathologist?
A good forensic pathologist is above all objective and balanced, someone who’s able to step back and is able to make an educated opinion on the case based on all the information available.

What can you tell me about the new project for the province — telepathology?
The telepathology death investigation initiative is a new project for Ontario, and one which, to my knowledge, is the first of its kind in the world. Based mainly on the vastness of Ontario, the investigation of deaths in northern Ontario is highly problematic. The project is a result of recommendations that were issued from an inquiry. It’s to increase accessibility of the north to forensic pathologists and coroners. We’re currently in the process of creating a system where we can remotely view a crime scene with the help of satellites and cameras, which allow us to “visit” the scene. Using this technology, we can ask the police what to look at, what to zoom in on. It’ll be like we’re right there.