City builds back
Posted on May 30th, 2019 –
A large swath of Yonge Street is in the process of being demolished to make way for sterile, corporate homogeneity. Most of the businesses along the lengthy strip didn’t leave by choice.
You might be tempted to think it was the government-imposed 100% — i.e. double — tax increase (with more planned), that drove so many businesses either out of the area or into bankruptcy but “think tanks” like the C.D. Howe Institute beg to differ; Toronto has very “competitive” property tax rates, they say, it’s just that they’re difficult to estimate because of complexity, obscurity, and lack of transparency.
You may think that taxing property “owners” twice — i.e. double — for simply living on a piece of land throughout the city would be similarly problematic but the eminent Ryerson University along with some councilors believe that the city could easily squeeze another 20% from taxpayers who have the audacity to live in a home that they “own”.
Bloody “free” market strikes again!
These days the Goddess of Mercy is going for a cool three grand — Chinatown special!
There’s something very Edward Gorey-esque about Allan Gardens that keeps me coming back. Maybe it’s the moody Victorian atmosphere that they invoke, or maybe it’s the holiday weekend crowds — they can be murder. For Sarah it’s all about those sinister turtles.
I wrote this one a few years ago but decided to dust it off for TCL. You may recognize the lyrics of David Ruffin from The Temptations but the tune will probably not be so familiar. I believe the kids these days call this style Electro House.