Meet

The Future
strives to report, document and follow a rapidly
changing Toronto with a strong focus on what is in store
for the future of the city. With a demographic of 18-30 year old readers,
the editorial sta envisions this magazine to become not only a reference for the current
state of Toronto, but a blueprint for where the city is headed in the next, 5, 10, 50 years.
Our magazine focuses on a variety of issues including events, politics,
arts & entertainment, sports, technology, health and education.
We have interviewed top experts in these elds in order to give an accurate
representation of a future Toronto.
e future is in your hands.
toronto2point0.ca
@Toronto2Point0
www.facebook.com/toronto2point0
James
Wattie
Alex
Kozovski
Kyle
Larkin
Andre
Thuairatnam
4
The Big Smoke
A Software Revolution
2024 Olympics
Notesolution.com: Educations Future
Segregation for Success
Rise of the Bedroom Coder
Safety at your Fingertips
The Ball Ban
Comfortable in your own skin?
Class is in Session
Torontos Talent Incubator
The Twitter Effect
Progress: Torontos Waterfront
GO-ing Forward
A Hard Days Night
Baseball and Hockey in the GTA
Chalk is Cheap
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12 13
14
15
16 17
18
19
20
22
21
Table of ConTenTs
A
er a long day of work,
Jay nally arrives to his
home in Toronto. Set-
tling in front of the T.V., he ips
on SportsCentre, just in time for
the 6:00 update. To complete this
envious state of relaxation, he pulls
out the coup-de-grace: no, its not a
beer. Nor is it a cigarette.
What used to be a cold beer,
or a fresh cigarette, has been re-
placed by a controversial joint.
Lighting the fat end slowly, Jay
inhales a sizeable amount of
smoke, and holds it in his lungs, as
though paralyzed.
Sure, this is nothing new. Mari-
juana has been around for a while.
People have been getting high
for decades.
But now it has become more
available than ever, more ca-
sual than ever, and more popular
than ever, says B.C.s Centre for
Excellence in HIV/AIDS. is
can be seen particularly in south-
ern Ontario, including the great
Toronto metropolis.
Marijuana use among todays
Canadian teens is higher than its
been in over twenty years. Recent
research shows marijuana use
among Canadian teens is now at
the highest levels its been since
the early 1990s according to the
University of Western Ontario.
Nearly 30 per cent of Ontario high
school students are identied mar-
ijuana users, accounting for ap-
proximately 286,000 Ontario high
school students, numbers discov-
ered by the Ontario Student Drug
Use Survey, which was conducted
by the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health.
Keeping the high numbers in
mind (pun intended), and the
increasing demand for decrimi-
nalizing or legalizing marijuana
(recall Aprils Ontario court ruling
to review the legalization of mari-
juana possession, anyone?), will
we see a pot-peaceful Toronto in
the future?
I sure hope so, at least decrimi-
nalization would be a start, said
Jay, a self-proclaimed marijuana
activist, (choosing to keep his sur-
name anonymous) who smokes as
oen as he works- full time.
Examining the Canadian, or
even North Amer-
ican pop culture
displays marijuana
in a casual light.
Its almost as if
this generation of
boomers babies
are being desensi-
tized to pot propa-
ganda.
Its all over
the media. Its
mass advertised.
We have mov-
ies where the
whole theme of
it, the whole topic
of the movie is
c a n n a b i s ,
Jay agreed.
ere are even
places where you
can smoke pot
in Toronto, and not be hassled
by cops or anyone. Places like
the Vapor Lounge and Kens-
ington Markets Hot Box Caf
are being frequented more than
ever. People are starting to head
to these joints to light one of
their own.
As marijuana has be-
come more mainstream, all
kinds of users are heading to
these establishments.
All types of people, said Dan
Botterill, manager of the Hot Box
Caf . People think because youre
smoking weed you must be a cer-
tain way, but Ive seen people from
all over the place, all walks of life-
they all smoke it. It doesnt mean
theyre a certain way- maybe it
makes them a little more fun.
Blair Longley, leader of the Mar-
ijuana Party of Canada, and can-
nabis advocate for over 40 years,
says to even look outside Canada
for hints of legalization.
If you want to know how long
until cannabis becomes legal, look
to the south, said Longley lazily.
For now, it will be a wait and see
approach, beginning with the fed-
eral governments re-examination
of marijuana laws, as proposed in
April.
And as the wait continues, our
culture will become even more at
ease with the usage of cannabis.
But maybe desensitization isnt the
proper word.
Desensitization? No. Its nor-
malization, said Botterill.
4
The Big Smoke
Why is marijuana use amongst
Canadian teens higher than its been in
over twenty years?
By Alex Kozovski
Toronto 2.0






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C a n a d a s c a n n a b i s c o n s u m p t i o n
Top six annual cannabis use by industrialized country (in %)
I
magine youre sit-
ting in the front row
at the 2011 Grammy
Awards - Staples Centre, Los An-
geles: Jay-Z, Kanye West and all
the other Roc-A-Fella artists on
your right-hand side. To your le,
James Heteld, Lars Ulrich and the
rest of Metallica eagerly await their
turn on stage. Youre in a room
surrounded by the greatest musi-
cal talent of a generation. Your
nomination under the best new
artist category has created a huge
buzz, sending shockwaves not only
in your home town, but on an in-
ternational scale youve made it.
Youve achieved your dream. And
you barely had to leave your bed-
room to do it.
e notion may seem farfetched,
but it has denitely happened on
more than one occasion in recent
years. Big name artists and produc-
ers like Boi 1nda, J.Cole and Drake
a new, younger generation in
hip-hop music all got their names
out there through the use viral

marketing and amateur production
techniques.
In terms of music production,
were amidst a soware revolution
in the era of digital information.
is means that a consumer-grade
personal computer is now capable
of doing what only a professional
recording studio was able to do as
early as 10 years ago. is jump in
technology has also made profes-
sional audio equipment, including
microphones and synthesizers,
much more aordable and avail-
able to consumers.
Clive Daniel, a Toronto-based
independent producer and art-
ist, has been in the industry for
19 years and has worked with Ca-
nadian hip-hop superstars Kar-
dinal Oshall, Jully Black, Karl
Saukrates Wailoo, Julien Little
X Lutz and Jelani J-WyZe
Nias. His time in the business has
spanned the transition between a
hardware-based method of music
production to the soware-driven
techniques used more and more
today. He admits that he is a bit bi-
ased in terms of showing creativity
within a soware platform.
A lot of music today is primar-
ily soware programming in terms
of hip-hop, Daniel said. If youre
using soware, your mind can only
go so far within the system. As an
artist, being able to explore and
expand within your brain that
creativity goes farther than any
soware program out there.
ese soware applications, of-
ten referred to as Digital Audio
Workstations (DAW), are becom-
ing more and more commonplace
on personal computers. e most
popular DAW for amateurs is a
program called Garage Band. It
gives users the option to explore
basic music production inside a
very easy-to-understand interface.
Although applications like Garage
Band have been great for getting
beginners interested in music pro-
duction, there is still some criticism
over them creating a generation of
producers who lack in fundamen-
tal music production skills.
[ese applications] gives them
an access where theyre able to use
the soware, able to ne-tune it a
lot more at home, practise, get used
to it, understand music production
it will denitely benet them. But
you have people as well who think
theyre producers because they just
click and drag a drum track over
and think that its production,
Daniel said.
As an independent rapper and
producer from Toronto, Jordie
Kid Cartoon Scott has seen his
fair share of both professional and
independent music studios.
Back then, people were mu-
sicians. eyd have to work to-
gether for hours using hardware
and their knowledge to put songs
together. Now, people sit at their
computer, drag and drop a couple
sound clips and have a song in ten
minutes, he said.
is steady decline in the need
for formal music training in the
industry, however, is denitely
opening doors to producers who
otherwise would not have been in-
volved within the industry in the
rst place.
I dont have formal training,
but I have a good ear and a good
music taste. [Not having formal
music training] doesnt prevent
you from doing what you got to
do, Daniel said.
Anthony Joseph, an independent
producer based out of Newmarket,
Ont. has been into production for
the past six years and has collabo-
rated with artists both in Toronto
and on an international scale. He
falls into this category of producers
with no formal training.
Its good to have some sort of
formal music experience for sure,
but I think a lot of it is having an
ear for good sounds and creating
music from the heart, he said.
Music production, however, is
only one piece to the puzzle. e
more important bit comes in how
artists plan on distributing, pro-
moting and branding themselves.
Now you guys have CDs,
Daniel said. Back then we had
to use records which [used to]
cost a lot of money to produce a
single to store your music itself.
Now you have your CDs, Internet,
iTunes so many dierent ways
of putting your music out there
which is a lot easier. Its a great
thing, Daniel said.

Andre Thurairatnam T.O.2.0
5e||ing up o home s|udio doesn| |oke onymore equipmen| |hon
o regulor compu|er ond some o|her op|ionol peripherols.
5
The Software Revolution
By Andre urairatnam
Toronto 2.0

Back
then,
people
were
musicians
- Jordie Scott
Why the music recording studio may be a thing of the past...
Tech
T
hird place in
1996. Second
place in 2008.
e Summer Olympics
have been rather elusive
in Torontos case, los-
ing to Atlanta, Geor-
gia and Beijing, China,
respectively.
Aer a city council
meeting in early August,
Torontos chances of host-
ing the 32nd Olympiad
in 2020 became null, aer
council voted against sub-
mitting a bid.
Despite growing in-
terest from civic lead-
ers across the province,
it wasnt enough to
convince Mayor Rob Ford
that Toronto can aord the
hey price tag. And with-
out backing from all three
levels of government, re-
questing a bid for an event
of such stature is nigh
impossible.
But for Canadian sport-
ing enthusiasts and Olympic a-
cionados, there may just be hope
yet. If the planets align and the
sporting gods give their bless-
ing to the city, Toronto looks to
be in good shape to bid for the
2024 Olympics.
And the key to winning the bid,
it seems, lies in the Pan American
(Pan Am) Games.
I think what Toronto needs
to do is, number one, make
sure they do a great job on the
2015 Pan Am games, says Bob
Richardson, president of the
Devon Group.
Its 10 000 athletes, 41 coun-
tries, and a $1.4-billion invest-
ment. If thats done well, it builds
interest and enthusiasm in sum-
mer sports, and an opportu-
nity to potentially pursue the
2024 games.
Richardson was the chief operat-
ing ocer for Torontos 2008 second
place bid, which fell 31 per cent
short of the 50 per cent plus-one re-
quirement to win. Richardson also
served as a senior advisor on the
very successful 2015 Pan Am bid,
which garnered 65 per cent of the
votes in the rst round.
e jump from Pan Am to Olym-
pics has been done in the past, hav-
ing been achieved by Mexico City in
1955 and 1968. But perhaps more
intriguing is Rio de Janeiro, who
hosted the Pan Am Games in 2007,
and won the 2016 Summer Olym-
pic Games the same nine year gap
were Toronto to win in 2024.
I think the coincidence plays
a signicant role, Richardson
said.When you can be successful
at dierent levels and show people
you can put on a good Games, the
combination would be very helpful
for 2024.
While success in lesser sporting
events can be a convincing factor,
support from the government is by
far more heavily relied upon. Cur-
rently in the middle of a discussion
over the $774-million budget short-
fall in Toronto, Ford and his council
were quick to shy away from any
talks of a bid.
Ford has even expressed discom-
fort in the past over the costs of
the Pan Am facilities being erected
in Scarborough. But even Ford
is beginning to see the upside of
upping the ante.
I talked to [Rob Ford] sev-
eral times down at Guadalajara
on the weekend Richardson
said, where the 2011 Pan Am
games recently concluded in
southern Mexico.
He seems pretty keen on the
Pan Am games now, having seen it
down there, which is good. I think
hes starting to get a sense on why
you want to do this from an Olym-
pic perspective as well.
In the application process,
though, the city plays a smaller role
from a nancial standpoint. Coop-
eration from the provincial level
can be the ultimate deciding factor,
where the debt guarantee needs to
be signed (in case all goes wrong).
e federal government then equals
the provincial investment.
From there, generating revenue
almost seems like the easy part.
dormant.
6
HOW THE PAN AM GAMES WILL PLAY A MAJOR ROLE
2024 Olympics: Torontos best hope
SportS
By Kyle Larkin
Toronto 2.0

Kyle Larkin T.O.2.0
President of the Devon Group, Bob Richardson, was the
chief operating ocer for Torontos 2008 second place bid.

Kyle Larkin T.O.2.0
Excavation for the 2015 Pan Am Games has begun at the
University of Toronto at Scarborough Campus on Military Trail.
For more on this
story visit us at
toronto2point0.ca
DOES THE FUTURE LIVE ONLINE?
T
hree black lights hang in
front of a nondescript,
two-story oce building
in the west end of Toronto. e bot-
tom level is vacant and the stairs go-
ing up have the nose-tingling aroma
of fresh paint. e three black lights
in front of the building might as well
represent the three founders of one
of the companies inside. is is the
temporary home of Notesolution.
com, and they are hoping to change
the way students learn.
Founded by Jack Tai, Kevin Wu
and Jackey Li in June of 2010, the
site is looking to help students study
better, more eciently and most im-
portantly, socially.
e site is essentially peer-to-peer
sharing of university course notes.
Users are encouraged to upload
their own notes, so that others can
view and learn from them. e up-
loader is then rewarded with credits
to view other users notes.
For us, when we were taking our
exams, a lot of the time we found
that we thought we covered every-
thing, Wu, the companys chief op-
eration ocer, said, in an interview
at the start-ups oce. But it was
little bits and pieces that we missed.
We felt we denitely would have
gotten those parts if we had people
that we could share notes with or
studied together with.
It is this social learning that Wu
and his team are banking their own
money and the money of overseas
investors on (many of whom are
family and friends).
All we were going on was our
savings, he said.
Aer originally testing at only
the University of Toronto, Notesolu-
tion has expanded over the past year
to more than 25 post-secondary
schools across Canada.
Up until recently, the site was free
for all users. But like all companies,
there is a need for revenue. ose
overseas investors are looking for
dividends aer all.
Way back in the beginning, it
was just a concept, Wu said. We
had no idea if it would catch on. In
terms of making money, we only
started to think about that recently.
So how does Notesolution
plan to make a buck? Its simple:
Lazy students.
One of the ways we thought
up was to get some of the students
that might not have stu to upload
themselves or theyre just too lazy to
upload to buy credits, Wu said.
One would think that a service
like this would be a thorn in the
back of professors. But Wu claims
that most of the feedback from
schools is positive, from both the
students and instructors.
Notesolution toured frosh week
events across Canada this Septem-
ber and the response was over-
whelming.
Id say 99 per cent of students
were like Sign me up, I cant wait to
see this, Wu said.
Getting students excited is one
thing, but professors are of a dier-
ent ilk. Some are worried that class
attendance will drop.
Its kind of divided, but theres
more professors supporting us than
against us, Wu said. Also if the
professor is good, they will go re-
gardless of if they can get the notes
online. In a small way, its a means to
get the professors to become better.
Vikraman Baskaran, a professor
at Ryerson University, encourages
his students to use Notesolution as a
way of studying better and engaging
the class.
e small start-up has a team of
nine including Sean Gu (director
of nance), Rishi Sholanki (VP of
business development) and An-
drew Brown (chief technical o-
cer) who is furiously inputting code
on his laptop.
He is in the process of developing
a referral feature for the site, letting
current users gain credits if they
bring in their friends. (Note: that
feature was launched Oct. 7.)
Many other features are in the
pipeline for this young company,
with seemingly large aspirations.
e team is hoping to launch fea-
tures such as a question and answer
section and peer tutoring support.
Many of the big web start-ups
are created and incubated in San
Francisco, but Wu says Toronto, and
Canada as a whole is growing in the
tech world. e city of Toronto is
home base for Notesolution, with a
new (bigger and better looking ac-
cording to Wu) oce in the works.
It is at this small company that
something bigger is brewing.
7
Notesolution.com: the future of education
By James Wattie
Toronto 2.0
How does
Notesolution plan
to make a buck?
Its simple:
Lazy students
Tech
James Wattie T.O.2.0
Andrew Brown (left) and Rishi Sholanki are just two of the
nine Notesolution employees.
James Wattie T.O.2.0
Kevin Wu, colounder o| No|esolu|ion, si|s in |he componys
Toron|o olhces.
K
ids hate school.
Ask a toddler in
grade one what they
dislike the most, and you could
bet your lunch money school is
public enemy #1 with vegetables
and bath time.
School, as hated as it is, is where
kids grow up, and are moulded
into the people they become. Not
only in terms of education and
opening doors for jobs, but build-
ing interests, perspectives, and
social skills.
e social aspect is under-
rated. rough interacting with
friends, children learn the give
and take of social behaviour
in general.
And this important factor is
one of a few reasons why
the Toronto District
School Boards
(TDSB) recent
approval of
an africentric
high school is
being highly
s c r ut i ni z e d.
Separating im-
pressionable children
at such a young age (there is al-
ready an africentric elementary
school) in any way, and keeping
them apart until their late teens,
denies them the crucible for inte-
gration: school.
I could see that being a
huge problem down the road,
for sure, said Michael Lillie,
a rst year Centennial Col-
lege student, who graduated
through the TDSBs education
system in 2008.
With racism and stereotyping
always a problem, I dont see this
helping.
Schools are where
young people from
dierent back-
g r ounds
and ethnici-
ties learn to
live together.
If the multicultural ex-
periment in Toronto
(and Canada) is work-
ing, schools are the
reason.
Regardless of the
criticisms and revolt-
ing children (black students in-
cluded), the TDSB is targeting
a September 2013 opening. e
proposal, which garnered a 14-6
vote in favour of the school, is
seen as a solution to needs identi-
ed by the TDSB.
Right now, its addressing a
need identied by parents for
a marginalized school, said
Roula Anastasakos, superin-
tendent of the Toronto District
School Board.
For what little data there is
from the africentric elementary
school, it is positive. e school
scored above average results in
standardized testing.
So is this schools ever in-
creasing popularity a sign of
things to come in Toronto?
Specialized schools cater-
ing to dierent communities
and groups?
Wed have to see those pro-
posals. Everything would have to
be taken as an indi-
vidual, unique case.
We dont have anyone
banging on the doors
to do that right now,
though, Anastasakos
explained.
8
Africentric Schools:
Segregation for Success?
Debate sparks over
the accepted
propsal of a
second africentric
school in Toronto
If africentric schools are seen as the solution, what are they the soultion to?
By Alex Kozovski
Toronto 2.0
For more on this
story visit us at
toronto2.0.ca
The Math
40%: Dropout rate of black students in
Toronto
12,000: Number of black students who wont
complete secondary school
185: Students attending the africentric
elementary school
Alex Kozovski T.O.2.0
T
here is a doctrine
named aer Dave
eurer, creator of
two of Ataris early hits Missile
Command and Tempest. Dubbed
eurers Law, it reads: Nobody
gets their rst game published.
In the early 1980s, eurer was
the only game developer to have
his rst title released and it was
a hit with the growing gaming
geek generation.
irty years later, with chil-
dren of that generation now
adults, the landscape of video
game development has changed.
Popping up in cities all over
the world are little (and some-
times not so little) hubs of inde-
pendent game developers.
Toronto right now is actu-
ally enjoying sort of a really big
growth period, said Steve En-
gels, professor of video game de-
sign at the University of Toronto.
10 years ago, the best jobs
or opportunities were either
in the States, in Montreal or in
Vancouver, but Toronto is now
a real hot bed for inter-
esting game design, said
Nick Coombe, of Toron-
to- based Get Set Games.
Founded in July 2009,
Get Set Games is the
creator of mobile games
such as Poptweets and
Mega Jump. Mega Jump,
available on the Apple
App Store as well as the
Android Market, has
been downloaded 18
million times.
Toronto has a unique-
ly strong and ercely
independent game de-
veloper scene, that keeps
things fresh and pushes
the industry and game
design in new directions,
Coombe said.
Benjamin Rivers, an indie game developer
in Toronto himself, says Torontos development
beginnings were community-based, and that
gives them an advantage.
A whole bunch of game devs [developers]
happened to meet in bars here in Toronto, and
booma community was born, he said. I
think the novelty of knowing other people in
this eld really kickstarted an appreciation for
fostering that community.
Despite a warm and welcoming community
with which to feed o of, Toronto indie devel-
opers are facing a new obstacle in the city.
Recently, [Toronto has] got a lot of atten-
tion because Ubiso has dropped into town and
this other big game company called Gamelo,
Engels said.
Ubiso, a premier video game developer,
announced it would open up a Toronto stu-
dio in 2009, and the newest installment of the
massively successful Tom Clancys Splinter Cell
series would be
made here.
But these big
name companies
are not coming to
Toronto for the
pleasant weather
and even more
pleasant people.
eir arrival is just a result of the govern-
ment shiing some of its policies and allow-
ing some sort of incentives for game compa-
nies to actually settle down and take up shop
in Toronto, Engels said. So theres still a lot
of talent and a lot of indie game studios, like
hundreds, but more recently, were getting more
attention for the bigger studios.
Coombe says having larger names like Ubi-
so in Toronto is helpful to the indie communi-
ty. Were getting some top-tier expertise feed-
ing into the city, which can only help improve
the talent pool over the long run.
Coombe also explains that even though
there are big name developers in Toronto, there
are a bunch of advantages to being an indie
game developer.
e biggest advantage is that you can
follow your own creative direction, he
said. Independent game developers dont
have an obligation to a publisher, inves-
tor, or any outside interest to creative certain
types of game, and so they are free to experi-
ment, to be bold and to make games or in-
teractive experiences that are outside of
the status quo.
Benjamin Rivers, who has created web
games for the Royal Ontario Museum, as
well
as his own self-published games and graphic
novels, echoes Coombes view.
e biggest advantage of being a small de-
velopment house or a lone developer is the abil-
ity to weather risk, and try new ideas, he said.
Larger companies are more risk-averse,but
if yours is the only paycheque you need to
worry about, you can be a bit braver.
is is denitely, from my perspective, the
second rise of the garage or bedroom coder,
Coombe said. Anyone with the knowledge to
be able to program applications for a mobile de-
vice and has $100 to spare can put their applica-
tions in front of a global audience of millions.
Much of the credit for this second rise be-
longs to how distribution of games has evolved.
When Apple launched the App Store in 2008,
(or when Valve created Steam, a distribution
platform for games on computers, in 2003),
each company gambled on hoping their idea
would become the future. ey were right.
e iPhone app store, and new digital
download service like Steam changed the land-
scape completely, Coombe said. Digital and
mobile distribution has moved game purchas-
ing out of the malls and main streets and into
peoples homes,.
Rivers hopes to one day see a completely dig-
ital distribution method with games, but there
are obstacles.
e odd thing about the games industry
is that it, unlike music and movies, is much
more hesitant to cut ties to retailers to provide
cheaper, more timely distribution, he said.
Rivers envisions a world similar to how mu-
sic has evolved also thanks to Apple and the late
Steve Jobs.
I hope within ve or 10 years, most games
will be available day-and-date digitally, with
deluxe versions available physically only, like
buying nice vinyl.
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By James Wattie
Toronto 2.0
You can
follow
your own
creative
direction
- Nick Coombe
Tech
W
here does Rog-
ers Smart Home
Monitoring t in to a rapidly
changing Toronto?
In Toronto and across Canada,
we know that Canadians are look-
ing for solutions to manage their
interconnected world seamlessly,
reliably and securely. Smart Home
Monitoring delivers on consumers
desire to stay connected to home
seamlessly and in real-time.
W
hy is it so impor-
tant to integrate
home security with mobile
applications?
Consumers are ready for a next
generation system that meets
the modern familys connected
needs - it is something that they
can conceive of and understand.
Smart Home Monitoring is a
natural evolution for our business
and it represents a great example
of how were driving connected
experiences into new services.
I
s Rogers Smart Home
Monitoring the next
standard in home security?
Why?
With Smart Home Monitoring,
the Connected Home is nally
here. Smart Home Monitoring is
dierent from a traditional secu-
rity system - it is a product that is
appealing to consumers who are
looking for a connected life expe-
rience. is is a product that deliv-
ers to consumers who are looking
for a home monitoring and auto-
mation system that is not only re-
liable and secure, but also allows
them to constantly be connected
to their home and loved ones.
H
ow is this idea more
prone to internet hack-
ers? Would this be a legitimate
concern for potential custom-
ers?
Building privacy features into
this system was very important for
us. e Central Monitoring Station
that we have monitoring Smart
Home Monitoring enabled homes
does not have access to cameras,
information about doors open-
ing or closing and they do not get
copies of emails and text messages.
Each user of the system has a four-
digit code that gives certain rights
to use the system, and must be en-
tered in addition to a Rogers pass-
word in order to control appliances
or the security system. Addition-
ally, sensors are encrypted and we
have employed white-hat hack-
ers to test the systems security. We
always encourage consumers to
have their system password locked.
W
here do you see Rog-
ers Home Monitor-
ing branching out to in the
next 5 years?
As of today we are focusing on
customers in our cable territory to
provide the best customer experi-
ence. Decisions will be made in
the future regarding accessibility,
but for now we are focusing on our
cable footprint.
W
hat kinds of newer
features do you see
being integrated into the Rog-
ers Home Monitoring system
in years to come?
As a company overall, we are
committed to innovating and de-
livering connected life experiences
to Canadians. I cant share details
on specic initiatives, but can tell
you that this is a core focus for our
team as we continue to build new
and exciting products and services.
10
safety at your fingertips
For more on this
story, see
Toronto2Point0.ca

The
connected
home is

here
- Ian Pattinson
Tech
HOW ROGERS SMART HOME MONITORING IS
REVOLUTIONIZING THE WAY WE PROTECT OUR HOMES
Andre Thurairatnam T.O.2.0
Subscribers have the option to monitor their homes from any
mobile-enabled device with the Rogers Smart Home app.
Roger Smart Home Monitoring - an initiative launched by Rogers Communications this past
summer - is a mobile-app based security system that gives consumers the option to monitor their homes
24 hours a day, seven days a week all from their cell phones or other mobile devices.
Reporter Andre urairatnam had the opportunity to talk with Ian Pattinson, vice-president in charge
of Smart Home Monitoring about what consumers can expect from this new standard in home security.
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A

Kyle Larkin T.O.2.0
Students at Earl Beatty Public School in East York are still
prohibited from using soccer balls on school grounds.
E
n Envision yourself
dgeting at your grade
eight desk, itching
for that minute hand to strike 12
as the teacher rambles on about
hypotenuses.
Relief overcomes you as the
bell rings throughout the hall-
ways, and you scarf your lunch
down before rushing for the
tarmac.
Every pent up urge to run around
in class or throw something is ful-
lled during those glorious thirty
minutes of recess when you kick
around the soccer ball, or throw
the tennis ball against the wall with
your friends.
Almost everyone can recall the
many hours they spent outside dur-
ing elementary school, which is
why the news of Earl Beatty
Public Schools ban of
hard balls spread
internationally
faster than
anyone
had expected.
ough the ban was lied two
weeks later, the incident has still
le a sour taste in many peoples
mouths, and has le some won-
dering if it might become a trend
around North America.
My immediate response was
that it was ridiculous, says Kelly
Redpath, principal on assignment,
education and community ser-
vices in the York Region District
School Board (YRDSB).
When you rst hear it, you
think about the kids and what
theyd be losing and how an
adult or a few of them,
in this litigious so-
ciety, can take
s omet hi ng
too far
a t
the expense of kids.
However, Redpath admits the
full story brings more to mind.
e ban, which has been a part of
the schools rules for many years,
only fully came into eect when
a parent became concussed
aer being struck in the
head with a soccer
ball on school
grounds.

Yo u realize that its

not right that someone
gets injured while on
duty in a school yard, and some-
thing should be done about it, Red-
path said. Banning balls may not be
the answer, but something needs to
mitigate against this in the future.
But the future is unclear at this
point. Redpath doesnt see the ban-
ning of balls becoming a problem
around the GTA or even Ontario,
but more of an issue of schoolyard
safety that needs to be addressed
with a balance for both students
and teachers.
Ross
V i r g o
was also dis-
heartened to
hear of the ban. He
sees recess as an oppor-
tunity for kids to engage in
the daily physical activity he
believes is necessary for their de-
velopment.
On the other hand, Virgo
also sees the issue as one that
might potentially resonate across
school districts.
Playground safety is always
a concern when you put a large
group of children out in a small
area, and especially when they
have been through a couple
hours of sitting still in a class-
room, says Virgo, who is the se-
nior Manager of public affairs &
communications in the YRDSB.
Virgo thinks there are three
keys to ensuring no more inci-
dents such as Earl Beattys occur
in the future:
safe
school -
g r o u n d
conditions, rel-
evant rules guard-
ing against kids from
bullying, and adequate
supervision.
According to Virgo, most insti-
tutions are fortunate in these ar-
eas and are conscientious enough
to uphold them, considering the
relatively small numbers of inju-
ries and accidents that take place
around Ontario.
While these mission statements
are clear, the eort to maintain
them
is more
dicult than
it may seem, says
Redpath.
ere are always new
safety protocols for schools, its
never ending. We are always get-
ting directives about how to man-
age schools and ensure safety, Red-
path said, who worries about the
lack of increased stang in order
to aid in the ever-changing rules.
e shortage of sta sometimes
prevents schools from complying
with the mandates. According to
Redpath, principals and vice-prin-
cipals are le to supervise yards
and classrooms during teacher
prep time, which is not eective in
the overall goal of ensuring safety
around the schoolyard.
11
By Kyle Larkin
Toronto 2.0
For more on this
story visit us at
toronto2point0.ca
Living
C
halk is cheap.
Scrawled rough-
ly on the uneven
downtown sidewalk in Toronto,
the eccentric man didnt care
that he stopped a crowd of
people, from getting to the next
art display at Torontos annual
Nuit Blanche.
Stopping, and armed with
a fat piece of white chalk
clutched in his hobo gloves, a
scruffy dirty blond beard, and
a shaggy, long trench coat, the
mystery man performed this
soft-core vandalism, and then
stood up. Turning, he was faced
with a surprised, but intrigued,
audience.
Ill take some, an anony-
mous girl piped up. With a
toothless grin, the man reached
into his giant yellow box of
chalk, handed her a piece, and
disappeared into the night,
likely spreading his message all
over downtown.
Chalk is cheap.
It took a while to put it to-
gether. At first it was your
classic, atypical character not
uncommon in the depths of
downtown. Someone to be ig-
nored, not giving the rebel an-
other thought. But considering
the facts, this was more than a
random act of oddness.
The man was creating art,
hoping people would join his
chalk cause, decorating the
streets of Toronto, streets lit-
tered with thousands expe-
riencing Torontos biggest
art festival.
Our chalk crusader repre-
sents the Toronto art scene at
the moment- and maybe where
its going. A man considered to
be doing random acts is a real-
life metaphor of Torontos art
scene and culture.
At first its tough to under-
stand it, but then when you
realize what hes doing, and the
artistic value it has, you see
how different and inno-
vative it is. And the fact
that he is really making
you think about what
can be defined as art
and what art can
mean, is a reflec-
tion of artists in
Toronto look-
ing towards
the future:
c o n s t a nt l y
pushing the
boundaries in
one of the richest art cultures
youll find.
Nuit Blanche gives us a peek
into the future. Many of the ex-
hibits tackle art in ways com-
mon people never see. So what
does art and art culture look
like in Toronto, now and in the
future? Examining some art
moguls in the community, art
is an industry in Toronto that is
on the up rise, if the present is
any indication or foreshadower
to the future.
12
Nuit Blanche 2011 and
their artists!
Photos by Alex Kozovski

Im real-
ly excited
about whats
happening in
Torontos
art scene
right now,
and really
excited to
be a part of
it.
- Julia Abraham
CHALK
IS
CHEAP
By Alex Kozovski
Toronto 2.0
Top: Preporing lor High|
o| No|hon Philip 5quores
ehibi| Flightpath. Iel|:
5loppin some boss o|
Toron|os Under-
ground Cinemo
for A Brief His-
tory in Rebel-
lion.
Darren ODonnell, artistic
director of theatre company
Mammalian Diving Reflex
and 2 time contributor to Nuit
Blanche in 2006 and 2007, has
been deeply integrated into To-
ronto art culture all his life. The
46 year old Toronto native dab-
bles through various artistic art
forms, from being an essayist to
a performing artist. His 2006
Nuit Blanche submission, Ball-
room Dancing, where kids DJed
in a gym filled with thousands
of rubber balls, was the talk of
the town.
Absolutely the art culture is
strong. There are a lot of people
trying to do a lot of different
things, its kind of all over the
place, ODonnell said.
Painter and performer Ju-
lia Abraham, who created the
visual installation Do You See
What I See? at this years Nuit
Blanche, has experience in art
all across the world. Studying
and receiving a masters degree
from the University of Birming-
ham from the UK, Abraham
has looked into art in many
other countries.
Definitely the culture is
strong. I was in Sydney where
there is an amazing art culture,
and in comparison, Toronto is
incredibly strong. The program-
ming right now is excellent, the
soft-spoken Abraham said, still
recovering from performing at
Nuit Blanche all night.
Im really excited about
whats happening in Torontos
art scene right now and really
excited to be a part of it.
Alexis Mitchell, co-creator
of this years exhibit Border
Sounds, a video, performance,
and sound installation located
in an underground parking
garage, is in agreement with
her colleagues.
Its an extremely rich artist
community and culture, one
I would hate to lose, Mitch-
ell explained, who absolutely
radiates artistic energy and
eccentricity.
They are all in agreement
that art is here to stay as a
powerful contributor to To-
ronto identity. In the future,
art might be more important
than ever to Toronto, and
for a multitude of reasons.
For one, it is important to
the economy.
Up is really the only direc-
tion it can go. Its still the only
industry thats making work
downtown, all other indus-
tries are going to the suburbs,
ODonnell said, noting the
broad mediums art reaches,
from music to visual art.
Abraham, who is current-
ly getting her masters for art
through the University of To-
ronto, can be seen as a glimpse
of tomorrows artist. It will be
the work of her colleagues in
the near future that will repre-
sent Torontos art and the art
scene of the future. And she is
already witnessing fellow artists
starting to break rules, and do
things weve never seen.
Theres a new wave of artists
from centres where Ill include
Butcher Galleries, which is a
space for artists that are more
experimental. They dont rely
on funding or grants to operate
but shows work that is pushing
limits and certain concepts and
are more in the initial stages of
production.
Butcher Galleries, are lo-
cated downtown Queen East,
in a quirky residential lane
near Dundas and Lansdowne.
Butchers mandate is conceptu-
alizing art online, on their site,
in an immaterial state and then
creating it into a material form,
while maintaining the integrity
of the project.
That is clearly an experi-
mental idea; no one is really
doing it, Abraham said enthu-
siastically of the gallerys inno-
vation.
It certainly isnt hard or
expensive to become a part of
this rich culture. Because dont
forget: chalk is cheap.
A&E
13
Interested in exhibiting
your work at next years
Nuit Blanche? Each exhi-
bition area includes 5 proj-
ects selected by curators
through an open call.
Emailed Applications
are due by midnight, Mon-
day, December 19, 2011.
Hand Delivered Applica-
tions are due in the Ofce
by 4 pm, Monday,
December 19, 2011.
Nuit Blanche 2012
OPEN CALL
Clockwise lrom lel|: A
chonce |o become o movie
s|or wi|h prolessionol comer-
os, o mon |oking in some or|,
ond rocking ou| |o Nirvono
o| Toron|os Underground
Cinemo.
T
he city of Toronto
prides itself on being
home to one of the
most liberal and accepting cul-
tures, not only in North America,
but across the globe. A good ma-
jority of the time, Torontonians
can feel free to walk, talk and wear
whatever they please without hav-
ing to feel the pressure of a judg-
ing society. Free expression of one-
self is something very prominent
when taking a walk through the
downtown core.
However, there also seems to
be a very distinct line between
where self-expression is per-
missible and where a level of
professionalism begins.
Where tattoos, piercings and
other forms of body modication
are within societal norms outside
of the workplace, the conservatism
within a professional environment
is something that hasnt changed
very much in the past 20 to 30
years. Many professional oces
and other service environments
frown upon seeing visible tattoos
whether it be stated explicitly in
a company dress code or an unspo-
ken rule in the oce.
According to a study done by
the PEW Research Centre for the
People and the Press, there is a
denite distinction in how the
public perceives tattoos. e study
states that, e public is divided
about the impact of more people
getting tattoos; 45 per cent say it
has not made much dierence, 40
per cent think it has been a change
for the worse and only seven per
cent say this has been a change for
the better.
Even with the statistics showing
a strong disapproval rate from the
general public, there is still a steady
increase in popularity among
them. e same study states that 36
per cent of 18-25 year olds sport at
least one tattoo. ats more than
one-third of the population who
are, arguably, entering the work
force and actively searching for
long-term employment.
What does this all mean for the
next generation of white-collar em-
ployees? Was getting a tattoo last
spring break during freshman year
a mistake?
Like any form of style, its a
matter of current cultural mean-
ing -- women in pants, long hair
or an earring on men, and other
styles that may be perfectly ac-
ceptable today were scandalous
just a couple of generations ago,
explains Jennifer Berdahl, profes-
sor of organizational behaviour
and expert in workplace mistreat-
ment at the University of Torontos
Rotman School of Management.
I expect tattoos will eventu-
ally follow suit, if they havent al-
ready, given how common tattoos
now are.
John Smith, a senior-level man-
ager with Rogers Communica-
tions in Toronto explains that
there is denitely a stigma associ-
ated with tattoos, but it varies de-
pending on department and posi-
tion. He requested his real name
not be published.
It all depends on the environ-
ment, he said. I work in a corpo-
rate telecommunications environ-
ment and as long as the tattoos
can be covered up, youre ne. In
the corporate environment, be-
low the manager level, I feel tat-
toos are becoming more accept-
able, but at the manager level and
above, I havent seen anyone with
visible tattoos.
With senior-level managers in
big corporations actively hiding and
covering up tattoos at work, it leaves
us wondering exactly how much of
a role body art plays when applying
for jobs, promotions, or other career
enhancement opportunities.
Tattoos dont aect ones ability
to perform a job, so they should not
matter to an employer, and instead
should fall under an individuals
right to free expression, she said.
e one exception is how some
customers may react to an em-
ployees tattoo in some service pro-
fessions, a reaction that is changing
with the times, and an employer
would need to decide if those re-
actions are hurting the business
enough to be worth losing an other-
wise excellent employee, or infring-
ing on that employees individual
freedom. .
Times are denitely changing.
As far back as 14 years ago, the US
News and World Report found that
tattooing was the sixth largest retail
industry in the states, behind grow-
ing elds like cell phones and com-
puters, and since then hasnt shown
any signs of slowing down. We are
becoming more lenient as a society
and more accepting of what was
considered taboo in past years.
e workplace has changed
signicantly, says Barbara Moses,
international speaker, work/life ex-
pert and best-selling author of Dish:
Midlife Women Tell the Truth about
Work, Relationships, and the Rest of
Life.
Employers recognize that many
20 and 30 something year-olds to-
day have tattoos, and they are not
signiers of being a bad or good
girl or boy, she said. at said,
many people have a visceral nega-
tive reaction to tattoos which cant
be covered with clothes. But the
chances are you would not want to
work somewhere which was popu-
lated by people who had this kind of
reaction. Bottom line for job seek-
ers with tattoos: nd a workplace
culture which meets your needs
and style.
14
Comfortable in your own skin?
By Andre urairatnam
Toronto 2.0

17 per cent
of those
with a
tattoo have
considered
getting it
removed
Source: American
Academy of Dermatology
Do tattoos have a place in Torontos professional workplaces?
Living

Andre Thurairatnam T.O.2.0
Tattoos, although steadily increasing in popularity, do seem to
play a major role in how one is perceived in the workplace.
A
hem...excuse me! Can
I have the attention of
the class for one sec-
ond?
The opening request in Emi-
nems first hit single, My Name
Is, was the rappers way of saying
time to listen to me, I got some-
thing to say. Controversial lyrics
and subjects will always be asso-
ciated with Slim Shadys music,
but his success is synonymous
with his slurs.
Yet for up-and-coming Toron-
to rap artist Victor Bryan Byen-
kya, aka 3-Card, it was Eminems
work in a different medium that
inspired him to become a rapper.
The first time I saw 8 Mile,
I was like... ahh shit, Ive never
seen anything like that, said By-
enkya, not as intimidating as his
64, stocky frame first portrays.
It made me really see how tal-
ented these guys are. I saw 8 Mile
and my life changed.
And that change for the Ugan-
dan native was a shift in musi-
cal style. The 23-year-old, who
has lived in Toronto for 6 years
now, used to be in a rock band.
Listening to bands like Papa
Roach and The Offspring, Byke-
nyas preferred creative outlet
was the guitar.
When I first started listening
to it, rap was too intimidating
for me, Byenkya said, 2 years
removed from the University of
Toronto. Its fast and making the
right rhymes with the right melo-
dies and the right beats, theres a
lot going on there.
Rap and hip hop has become
Byenkyas main interest now. And
its his fascination with rap mu-
sic that has him preparing the
launch of his first EP, Economy
Class, in Toronto. Some of my
favourite songs were from Cana-
dian rappers. I didnt even realize
they were Canadian. I was intro-
duced to guys like Classified, and
the Rascalz.
With best friend and now
producer Aseye Ohene moving
to Toronto from their school in
Cambodia, the choice for Byen-
kya was that much easier. To-
ronto seemed like an interesting
place. I wanted a place where
I could focus and build a rep,
he explained.
And the beginning of that
rep begins with his upcoming
12-track EP, Economy Class. Tak-
ing 1 year to conceptualize, Byen-
kya has been recording for almost
2 months. The only real obstacle
in the production process was
the absence of long time engineer
Osama Verse-atile Hussain, who
has been doing a lot of work in
the Czech Republic.
Despite Eminem really chang-
ing Byenkyas perception and
direction of music, he stays re-
moved from Eminems style and
writing approach.
Eminem is an easy contender
for greatest [rapper] of all time,
dont get me wrong. But I could
only relate to [Eminems] stuff so
much. He writes a lot of personal
stuff and thats the thing.
Hes got some great rhymes,
and some of the beats are really
interesting, said Philip Skocz-
kowski, a local Toronto DJ who
operates under DP Music. Its
rap, but its got that classic Jay-Z
hip-hop feel, really catchy stuff.
Silly Little Thing is infectious.
I really dig it, said Dan
Wilikinson, another DJ, who is
the D in DP Music. This one
song I heard, F.R.E.E., is one
of the better tracks Ive heard
in a while. Though hip-hop is
sprinkled throughout the album,
theres some nice, raw straightfor-
ward rap where all that matters
is the lyrics. F.R.E.E. is one of
those songs.
Byenkya continues to pro-
duce his best work, as he wants
his first release to be a memo-
rable one. Without many real,
material accomplishments in his
young career, he wants to
start off with a bang, much like
Jay-Z or Eminem.
Perhaps Economy Class should
open 3-Cards career like The
Slim Shady EP did for Emi-
nems career, only slightly modi-
fied: Ahem...excuse me! Can
the class have your attention
for one second?
A&E
Class is in session
3 CARDS DEBUT ALBUM ECONOMY
CLASS HITS TORONTO
Alex Kozovski T.O.2.0
Victor Bryan Byenkya, aka 3-Card, debuts his long awaited EP
'Economy Closs in Toron|o lor s|orving hiphop lis|eners.
15
By Alex Kozovski
Toronto 2.0

It made me
see how
talent-
ed these
guys are.I
watched 8
Mile and
my life
changed.
- Victor Bryan
Byenkya
16
BASEBALL
HOMEGROWN TALENT AND AND THEIR MLB CHANCES
1.Joey Votto
2.Jason Bay
3.Justin Morneau
4.Matt Stairs
5.Russell Martin
6.Mark Teahen
7.Ryan Dempster
8.Brett Lawrie
9.Erik Bedard
10.Scott Richmond
Canadian MLB players
T
he conditions of Wish-
ing Well Park in Scar-
borough arent optimal
in October, but its not enough to
stop Travis Logan and his peers
from practising as much as pos-
sible. Sure the season ended over
a month ago, but theres plenty of
time in the winter for the young
teenagers to hone their skills on
their way to being a professional.
The road to professional base-
ball is a road seldom travelled by
Torontonians, which is exactly
why Colin Cummins created Red
Eye Pro Baseball. The new train-
ing facility, which opened in Scar-
borough last year, was built for
kids like Travis Logan.
These kids have a passion.
I want to take their skills and
help develop them to the next
level, Cummins said with a
smile. They deserve every op-
portunity they can get to fulfill
their dreams.
Cummins played profession-
ally in the independent leagues
after being one of the final cuts
by the Los Angeles Angels in
the early 1990s. Since then,
Cummins has contributed more
than 12 years of baseball camp
experience.
Toronto has been struggling
the last decade or so. My focus is
to increase the quality of athletes
and provide a better future for
baseball, Cummins said.
After the Toronto Blue Jays
won the World Series back-to-
back in 92 and 93, local inter-
est in baseball skyrocketed. Since
then, however, turnout and par-
ticipation has steadily declined,
clouding the future of baseball
with questions of commitment
from kids.
John Jepson, the general man-
ager of the Toronto Mets Baseball
Club, has noticed an increase in
registration across the TBA, and a
dramatic upheaval in the amount
of Torontonians moving on to
American colleges and universi-
ties, where they will have a better
chance to play professionally.
Pro scouts are at many PBLO
games in the GTA, and theres no
reason to believe this wont con-
tinue, Jepson said.
Even the interest from fans in
the GTA has increased substan-
tially in the last year. The average
attendance at the Rogers Centre
this season was 22,440 a 12 per
cent increase from the 2010 sea-
son. More importantly, there are
currently more Canadians active
on Major League Baseball rosters,
such as Joey Votto, Justin Mor-
neau and Jason Bay, than in any
previous season.
Theres no question that base-
ball is enjoying a renaissance in
Toronto now, Said Greg Den-
nis, president of the Scarborough
Stingers association and manager
of the Scarborough Stingers AAA
Bantam team.
Certainly, it helps that Cana-
dian players like Justin Morneau
and Joey Votto are among the elite
in major league ball, he adds.
Dennis speaks highly of base-
ball in Toronto, and is optimis-
tic about the future of Canadian
talent.
There is definitely a desire
out there, and not just to play
the game. The kids want to learn
more skills, improve themselves
and compete at higher levels,
Dennis said.

Kyle Larkin T.O.2.0
Trovis Iogon, T3, |roins in ked Eye Pro osebolls
hrs| Comple|e Ployer Progrom o| Wishing Well Pork.

These
kids
have a
passion
- Colin Cummins
The roof is open for
aspiring Torontonians
For more on this
story visit us at
toronto2point0.ca
By Kyle Larkin
Toronto 2.0 w
17
HOCKEY
TORONTO MINORITY ICE DREAMS
By Kyle Larkin
Toronto 2.0
Muslim ball hockey
bridges gap for youth
1.Nazem Kadri
2.Wayne Simmonds
3.Chris Stewart
4.Anthony Stewart
5.P.K. Subban
6.Manny Malholtra
7.Joel Ward
8.Devante Smith-Pelly
8 GTHL Players in NHL
For more on this
story visit us at
toronto2point0.ca
SportS
P
atel makes a steal at the
hashmarks, spins around
and slaps the ball o the
boards through the neutral zone.
Sheikh accepts the pass, sees a clear
path and makes a dash. e defend-
ers are closing in, and the goalie cuts
o the angle, but Sheikh crosses
over to the short side and buries
it underneath Qureishis blocker.
e bench goes wild, kids hold-
ing sticks twice their height cheer,
and the scoreboards buzzer echoes
throughout the arena.
An otherwise ordinary day at
the arena made unordinary by
the fact that none of the people in
this picture are white. e Madina
Hockey League, a Muslim ball
hockey league, is a testament to the
growing movement of minorities
toward hockey.
But while the league gives the
Muslim community an opportu-
nity to play the game they love, it
also symbolizes the barrier that
many other minorities and immi-
grants face when it comes to playing
hockey on ice.
e ice hockey level is a lev-
el thats almost unattainable for
the Muslim community, said
Sa Habib, co-commissioner of
the MHL.
When families rst
come here, theyre not ex-
ible with their funds and with
their time.
Saleh Hafejee plays in the MHL,
but also runs his own ball hockey
league on the East end of Scarbor-
ough. Growing up as a second gen-
eration Canadian, Hafejee was re-
duced to pickup games of shinny or
street hockey.
Having been more established
in the country as an adult, Hafejee
is able to register his 17-year old
son, who has now been playing
for more than 12 years. For Hafe-
jee, the major problem for immi-
grants still lies in cost, but also runs
much deeper.
Parents arent really involved.
ey drop their kids o and leave.
With hockey, those parents really
need to be there and willing to travel,
Hafejee said.
Because I grew up here, I
learned to love the game and was
able to support my son. I think with
the later generations, were start-
ing to see a lot more support from
parents. eyre willing to spend
the money.
12 years ago his son was the only
minority on the team. Now, teams
for ve and six year-olds seem to
be a little more balanced according
to Hafejee.
Habib believes most immigrants
are going to revert to where theyre
most comfortable.
Unless ice hockey does
something dramatic in
terms of attracting minori-
ties, they wont continue to
grow, Habib said.
GTHL Executive Di-
rector, Scott Oakman, be-
lieves the league strongly
represents the vast cultural
backgrounds of Toronto,
but that the challenge lies
in increasing registra-
tion based on the growing
population.
According to www.to-
ronto.ca, Toronto inherits
about a quarter of all im-
migrants in Canada, which
equates to more than 50,
000 a year. Almost half of all
Toronto citizens consider
themselves visible minori-
ties.
So wherein lies the key to
attracting immigrants and
later generations of visible
minorities?
2011 Winter champions, Palace, poses with the Madina Cup at
Stephen Leacock on June 6.
Courtesy madinahockey.com
T
.
O
.
2
.
0

Kyle Larkin T.O.2.0
Saleh Hafejee, player in the MHL, stands upstairs in the
Stepehen Leacock Arena after winning his game 5 - 2.
UNDER SERVED COMMUNITIES
FIND SUCCESS ON OWN TERMS
T
here were about 20 shoot-
ings in a two-week span
in the summer of 2005.
e summer of the gun gave To-
ronto a wake-up call to the problems
youth in the city face.
One program launched to help
youth in Toronto was e Re-
mix Project. Toronto 2.0 discussed
the program as well as their fu-
ture plans with cofounder Derek
Drex Jancar.
JW: What is e Remix
Project?
DJ: e Remix Project is an arts
and culture incubator, a training cen-
tre and a family.
JW: How did it begin?
DJ: It was originally founded as
IC Visions in 2000 and it was North
Americas rst hip-hop recreation
centre. e program evolved organi-
cally until 2005, the summer of the
gun, when cofounders Kehinde
Bah, Gavin Sheppard, and myself,
came together and starting working
on what would become e Remix
Project, with the blessing of
the mayors safety panel. Other part-
ners and funders gradually came on
board to support their eorts. We of-
cially launched in September 2006.
From then until September 2009, we
were located at 110 Sudbury St. (King
and Duerin area). e programs
new space is at 2 Pardee Ave. and
we are currently in our 8th semester
of programming.
JW: What is e Remix Projects
goal?
DJ: e Remix Project was cre-
ated in order to help level the play-
ing eld for young people from
disadvantaged, marginalized and




under served communities. Our
programs and services serve youth
who are trying to enter into the
creative industries or further their
formal education. We provide top-
notch alternative, creative educa-
tional programs as well as facilita-
tors and facilities. Our mission is to
help rene the raw talents of young
people from across the GTA in order
to help them nd success as par-
ticipants dene it and on their own
terms.
JW: What does e Remix Proj-
ect hope to achieve in the next ve,
10, 20 years?
DJ: In ve years, we hope to have
three locations; Toronto, New
York and Chicago.
In 10, we would like to
have a recognized alter-
native school in those
three locations. In
20, an internation-
ally recognized
boarding school.
JW: How have
you had to tailor
your program to
meet the new chal
lenges for youth in a
changing Toronto?
DJ: e program is youth driven.
e participants learn what they
want to know. ey set the goals and
milestones; the sta and volunteers
help them to get there.
Entertainment and media is al-
ways changing and we have man-
aged to stay relevant and current
due to our branding and attention to
identity.
JW: What (or who) are some of
the programs success stories?
DJ: ere are so many stories, but
a couple that stick out to me are ones
like Future e Prince. He is now
Drakes DJ. He came into the busi-
ness program focusing on building
his brand and identity as a DJ. He has
accomplished that to say the least.
Houman Ricki Bekzadeh was in
out rst semester of programming
for recording arts. He graduated,
went to George Brown College for
Child and Youth Work and earned
his diploma.
Now he is our program manager
at e Remix Project and overseeing
the entire day-to-day activities of the
program.
18
The Remix Project: Torontos Talent Incubator
By James Wattie
Toronto 2.0
For more, see
toronto2point0.ca
Living
C
o
u
r
t
e
s
y
/
T
h
e

R
e
m
i
x

P
r
o
j
e
c
t
I
mIts happened to all of
us at least one: youre
riding the streetcar rst
thing in the morning the rst leg
on your hour and a half commute.
Still feeling a bit groggy from your
lack of sleep, you gather any re-
maining energy to reach into your
bag to get a head start on some
clerical work, maybe send out a
few emails. Its at this moment it
hits you. Your heart sinks. In the
hustle of trying to get to work on
time, youve accidentally le your
handy smart phone on top of your
dresser. e ride suddenly becomes
the longest of any other morning:
No correspondence with co-work-
ers. No updates to the latest news
headlines. No access to your social
networks. On a packed streetcar in
Toronto, with dozens of other com-
muting Torontonians, youve never
felt more disconnected, alone and
out of the loop.
Its hard to imagine as early as 10
years ago cell phones were still an
emerging market. From the days
of block text on a cramped, grey
screen has come a mobile revolu-
tion of sorts and it expands fur-
ther beyond cell phones. Devices
like tablets and iPods, in combina-
tion with the surge in popularity
of social networking, has created a
phenomenon where news no lon-
ger has a schedule.
Microso Tag released a study
that tracked how users have chosen
to use their smart phones in 2011.
e study predicted that by 2014,
mobile internet usage will have
taken over desktop usage. With the
average smart phone user spending
about 2.7 hours per day socializing
on their mobile device, this isnt
too surprising.
Marsha Lederman, Western
Arts Correspondent with the
Globe and Mail, is positive about
how big mobile applications
are becoming.
[Mobile-based news applica-
tions] is where the world is head-
ing, period, she stated. Instantly,
on mobile with more and more
reliance on self-curation. And the
move toward a global news vil-
lage will continue, as we rely not
necessarily on local papers for
coverage but are as free to read
e Guardian or the New York
Times as we are the Toronto Star or
Vancouver Sun.
Major news apps, however, are
not the only way people are getting
their news. e same study from
Microso Tag reported that 49 per
cent of smart phone users engage
in some sort of social networking
on their devices. Applications like
Facebook and Twitter are becom-
ing a great tool for journalists in
breaking news stories.
Since its launch in 2006, the
online micro blogging social net-
work has skyrocketed in popular-
ity now with an estimated 200
million registered users across the
globe according to the websites
statistics prole.
Why is Twitter so valuable in
terms of breaking news? e ser-
vice is giving users the opportunity
to follow veried media outlets,
which are updated as soon as any
news breaks. 680News may see an
accident on the 401 from their heli-
copter, and tweet the information
in a matter of seconds. No waiting
for the trac report.
I know where there have been
some cases where planes are go-
ing down, and people are tweet-
ing as it is happening, said Law-
rence Morton, a story editor at
the CBC. It can be a really good
source to contact people in break-
ing news situations where the only
way to get to them is through their
Twitter account.
Matthew Chin, an avid user of
the service, uses Twitter to catch up
on current events on a daily basis.
It is good place to get news,
because you usually get rst-hand
news right away, Chin explained.
For example the San Francisco
riots [when the World Series was
won] - there were people tweeting
with pictures who were right in the
middle of it at 3 a.m. You would
have to wait until the next morn-
ing to watch this on the news. You
get breaking news right away; it is a
never ending news roll.
What does this digital revo-
lution mean for our daily print
publications? Will newspa-
pers eventually become an
obsolete medium?
My prediction is that eventu-
ally, publications will move to a
weekend-only model for print,
Lederman suggests. On Saturdays
or Sundays, when you have time
to read the paper, you will receive
a physical copy, as much magazine
as newspaper, with longer-form
articles and columns. But the key
thing here is that newspapers -
even if theyre not printing on
paper - are still the organizations
along with broadcasters that em-
ploy journalists, put resources into
nding and covering stories, and
break almost all of that news that
you read on Twitter and blogs all
over the internet.
In the next ve years, Toronto-
nians can expect a big shi in re-
liance on mobile devices in their
daily routine. While print publica-
tions will never completely go ob-
solete. e future of breaking news
is upon us, and its digital.
Andre Thurairatnam T.O.2.0
Mobile apps like Twitter provide consumers with real-time
breoking news o| |heir hnger|ips.
19
The effect
By Andre urairatnam
Toronto 2.0
For more on this
story, visit us at
toronto2point0.ca

Publications
will move
to a
weekend-
only model
for print
-Marsha Lederman
Are newspapers going the way of the dinosaurs?
Tech
T
he Toronto Waterfront
and Port Lands area
have always been a
hot topic with politicians, urban
planners and Torontonians alike.
With Rob Fords elaborate vision
for urban development being shut
down by city councillors, it doesnt
look like Torontonians will be see-
ing a megamall, monorail or Ferris
wheel like Ford may have hoped in
the centre anytime soon.
His intricate blueprint for a
developed Waterfront was under
harsh criticism from experts in var-
ious areas of urban planning, archi-
tecture, economics and design. In a
letter addressed to city councillors
prior to the vote, top experts Rich-
ard Florida, Paul Bedford, Richard
Sommer and Eric Miller deeply ex-
pressed their concern for the future
of the city. Here is an excerpt from
the letter.
e proposed plans do not
represent a bold new vision for
our Waterfront. Rather, they are
a tired recycling of 1960s think-
ing. e Lower Don Lands are not
Disney World. e current plan is
an award-winning design that will
create a whole new community on
the waterfront that will be a model
for sustainable urban develop-
ment. e new proposals repre-
sent yet another attempt to bring
failed suburban urban design con-
cepts into a downtown setting.,
they wrote.
One of the biggest criticisms
of the plan that is currently in ef-
fect is the fact that it will take
too long before citizens see any
signicant change.
Richard Nichols, a native of the
downtown area, frequents the Wa-
terfront area on a weekly basis. He
claims that the area has not seen
any signicant change in the past
30 years and is sceptical of any im-
mediate change occurring in the
near future.
Id really like them to get it
done within the next 10 years so I
can enjoy that land when I retire,
Nichols urged.eres denitely a
shortage of land and property in
the downtown area people want
to live there so lets used the land
for what its supposed to be used
for. Its the downtown part of the
city, aer all. ere doesnt look
like theres much going on [in the
Waterfront area], and the land is
not being used for very much right
now, so lets get it done.
Ken Greenberg, former Director
of Architecture and Design for the
city of Toronto has been involved
in some of the most signicant ar-
chitectural developments in North
America including the Fan Pier in
Boston, Brooklyn Bridge Park in
New York, Harbourfront Centre
in Toronto and the Southeast and
Southwest Waterfronts in Wash-
ington D.C. Contrary to Nichols
beliefs, Greenberg claims that To-
ronto is already developing at an
astounding rate much beyond
any other major city in the conti-
nent. He argues that this criticism
is simply empty logic.
A couple of the things that were
said that just didnt make any sense
include the insertions that [de-
velopment] is going too slowly,
Greenberg stated. To date, Wa-
terfront Toronto has attracted
something like 2.6 billion dollars in
investments a lot of it is under-
way now: things like the athletes
village, development in the East
Bay front. At a time where there is
not a crane in the sky in any North
American city, Toronto is develop-
ing faster than any other city on the
continent. It could hardly be faster.
Code Blue TO, a lobby group
organized against Rob Fords vi-
sion for the Toronto Waterfront,
was a driving force in the back-
lash of support from Torontonians
against the plan. ey argue that
the current plans will oer citizens
countless employment and other
opportunities in addition to these
residential areas - all in a stable, de-
veloping community setting.
e existing plan for the Lower
Don Lands calls for housing for
19,000 residents, employment for
14,000 workers, along with sig-
nicant shopping, cultural, recre-
ational, and entertainment uses, a
spokesperson for the organization
said. It combines urban transit-
oriented neighbourhoods with nat-
ural settings in a dynamic, exciting
community that welcomes visitors.
e plan is exible enough to wel-
come virtually any compatible new
use that may emerge.
Greenberg explained that when
executing a plan of this calibre to
an area that is almost the size of
the rest of the downtown core, the
priority is not to plan for the ex-
pected, but to implement a strat-
egy to accommodate a constantly
changing city.
e area is as big as most of
Downtown Toronto, he explained.
Look at all the things that have oc-
curred in Downtown Toronto that
no one could have predicted in the
last 10 or 15 years. When you create
a plan like this, the idea is to create
a plan thats capable to absorb these
new ideas as they come along.
e current plan also takes into
consideration a rich retail envi-
ronment for the centre. e re-
tail already planned for the Lower
Don Lands will be substantial and
varied but the dierence is that
it will occur on lively urban streets
on the rst oors of residential and
commercial buildings, emulating
the best of the citys other vibrant
neighbourhoods, a Code Blue TO
spokesperson explained.
20
Where do we go from here?
By Andre urairatnam
Toronto 2.0

Toronto is
developing
faster than
any other
city on the
continent.
-Ken Greenberg
The future of Torontos waterfront.
Living

Andre Thurairatnam T.O.2.0
The Toronto Waterfront and Port Lands areas have been under
the magnifying glass by Torontonians for decades.
R
idership has exploded in the past 10 years in Toronto, leaving the two major carriers, GO and
TTC of people to rethink and redesign transit needs. For in the next 20 years, the
outlook will be something we have yet to imagine.
Right now, I think that the city is at the crossroad of our future, said
Kristyn Wong-Tam, city councillor for Toronto Centre-Rosedale. Wong-
Tam continues to be a supporter of Transit City, an initiative started by then-mayor David Miller that
would have seen several new light rail lines added, amongst other expansions, to the transit map of
Toronto.
Current mayor Rob Ford nixed the initiative days aer taking oce in October 2011, to much con-
troversy. TTC spokesperson Brad Ross says there are plenty of ways they are planning on meeting the
demands of the future growth in riders, without Transit City.
e new subway trains, the Toronto Rockets, carry 10 per cent more people than the existing eet,
he said. As well, a new signal system is being installed on the Yonge-University-Spadina line that will
allow us to run trains closer together.
Wong-Tam acknowledges the new trains and says they
are where we need to be heading. We also need
to think about ridership experience, she said. When I travel around the world, one thing that
strikes me is that the subway system in Toronto is aging. If we start planning and start build-
ing today and we dont stop and were not sidetracked by political trickery, I think we could
have a world-class transit system once again. I think Toronto can once again be a leader.
Although Transit City was squashed, but it is not the only transportation initiative
that is looking to propel Toronto towards being a leader in intra-city travel.
e Big Move is Metrolinxs (operators
of GO Transit, as well as multiple municipal
transit systems in the GTA) plan for the next
25 years.
e plan outlays 52 dierent rapid transit
projects for the region including, the back-
bone of the system, the GO transit network,
explained David Pritchard, a senior planning
advisor at Metrolinx. With this plan, we will
be able to reduce driving and bring rapid transit
within reach of about 80 per cent of the GTA.
In the next 20 years, the transformation is in the nature of the service, said
Daniel Haufschild, director of policy and planning for Metrolinx. Were moving
from a commuter service to a transportation service, which is really about serving more than
the commuter market. Its about serving school trips, doctor visits, education and so on.
Currently, only the Lakeshore lines run trains all day, both ways. GO plans to have all seven lines at Two Way All Day
service, as it has been dubbed.
Union Station is the primary transit hub in Toronto, as it combines GO Transit, Via Rail, and the TTC. Hauf-
schild calls the renovation currently under way substantial. Metrolinx recently introduced the Presto card.
Customers load it with money like a gi card. It is available to use for all GO trains and buses, as well as
plenty of municipal transit systems. e TTC has yet to fully implement the Presto card at its stations, but
they are in early discussions.
Metrolinx also hopes to have an air rail line, running from Union Station to Pearson International
Airport, in time for Toronto to host the Pan Am Games in 2015.
With that goal (among others) only a few years away, it is clear that both the hypothetical and physical
wheels must start to get in motion.
If we dont have a plan on transit, we are a city with no direction, Wong-Tam said. A city with no
direction will not be able to compete globally. We will not be able to retain or attract top talent and top
residents. Without that, we will see that Toronto will lose its competitive economic edge.
THE TTC AND GO TRANSFORM TRANSIT
21
By James Wattie
Toronto 2.0
The city
is at the
crossroads
of our
future.
- Kristyn Wong-Tam
Living
ing Forward in Toronto
Photos by
James Wattie
A
t downtown Torontos
Silver Dollar room,
the band prepares for
their hour long set. e guitar-
ist crouches over his minimal-
ist pedalboard, three eects
wired into his honey blonde
Fender Telecaster.
Suddenly, purple and green
lights illuminate the quartet.
en the vocalist, in a richly
toned Jamaican-accent, pro-
claims: Hello everyone; we are
e Livin Art.
Its not one of the hippest or
biggest venues, but they have a
cool 180 degree stage and really
look aer their bands, said Guil-
laume Lauzon, the Livin Arts
drummer, having nished an
explosive show to the crowd of
50 or 60.
Lauzon is a student and mu-
sician from Montreal, trying
to reach rock stardom with
his band mates in Toronto.
e experienced 21-year-
old loves playing in Toronto,
especially venues like the Silver
Dollar room.
But that doesnt come with-
out diculties, as he feels there
is room for growth in Torontos
music scene. Coincidentally,
there are signs of problems in To-
rontos music culture.
e aggravation arises from
the perfect storm of a chang-
ing music industry, happening
worldwide, the cost of rehearsal
spaces downtown, and the need
for artists to live near the down-
town core. Musicians need to live
downtown to practice in rehears-
al spaces. e problem with that
is the rehearsal spaces are too ex-
pensive downtown.
e change of the musical
business model in recording and
production has led to the sub-
sequent eect of an emphasis
towards live performance mak-
ing the need for rehearsal spaces
greater than ever.
So what can be done to
prevent losing Torontos mu-
sic culture, which is where
its headed?
With live performances being
the avenue of revenue for musi-
cians, they need to be able to
generate more from the shows
they put on. Lots of venues ei-
ther have the musicians walk-
ing away for nothing, or even
paying to play.
Solving the sonic sound re-
quirement, so bands have more
places to practice. Dr. Kevin Sto-
larick, research director for the
Martin Prosperity Institute who
is the worlds leading think-tank
on the role of sub-national fac-
tors in global economic prosper-
ity according to their website,
has been examining alternatives
to ensuring Toronto clutches
onto its musical talent. One is to
use space that is available, as its
serving little purpose to Toronto
at the moment.
e city actually does have
a lot of interesting spaces, Sto-
larick said. Not only places like
parks, but theres a lot of other
stu going on where the city
could actually provide these
spaces to groups at either no or
minimal costs because its not re-
ally costing the city anything.
22
A
Hard
Day's
Night
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

A
l
e
x

K
o
z
o
v
s
k
i
Singing all night at
Toron|os Underground
Cinemo
Ione Argue, gui|oris|
lor |he Iivin Ar|
WHY TORONTO IS TOUGH TO THRIVE IN AS A MUSICIAN
By Alex Kozovski
Toronto 2.0
Walk toward the future...