Nuit Blanche in Cabbagetown
Open Call For Artists - Deadline for submissions is April 30th.
Toronto’s all-night extravaganza of artistic celebration happens on Saturday, October 4. Cabbagetown has been accepted as a 2008 Independent Project Partner. Our projects will be listed on the official program and given city-wide publicity.
Artists who produce contemporary, interactive, engaging projects are invited to make a submission. Priority will be given to artists with a strong connection to Cabbagetown. All projects are required to run overnight for the full 12 hours, rain or shine.
To make a submission, please include: a full description of your proposed work (with a rendering if possible), a biography with details of your previous works (preferably with photos), a detailed budget and a complete list of technical details regarding construction and demolition of your work.
Obviously, time is short. The deadline for submissions is April 30th and successful applicants will be contacted in the first week of May. Artists can email submissions to cabbagetownnuitblanche@gmail.com
or
Mail or deliver a submission to:
Cabbagetown Nuit Blanche
c/o Old Cabbagetown BIA
237 Carlton Street
Toronto, ON M5A 2L2
The Spring Sale at Soup… 
Soup (6031/2 Parliament, just below Wellesley) is holding a pre-Mother’s Day, beginning-of-spring sale. Their goodies certainly qualify as “great stuff” – handcrafted jewelry, silk screened clothing, preserved and pressed flowers in glass, and amazing specialty greeting cards from Branch Out. 10 am to 4 pm.
Soup (6031/2 Parliament, just below Wellesley) is holding a pre-Mother’s Day, beginning-of-spring sale. Their goodies certainly qualify as “great stuff” – handcrafted jewelry, silk screened clothing, preserved and pressed flowers in glass, and amazing specialty greeting cards from Branch Out. 10 am to 4 pm. Community Clean-up Day
Saturday, April 19 from 9 am to 2 pm.
Every year, we scour the back lanes, dig out awkward garbage and take it to central drop-off points for disposal by the City. This year, our businesses are joined by Aberdeen Avenue residents, some Cabbagetown South residents and Don Vale Cabbagetown Residents.
Drop-offs are at Amelia & Parliament, Carlton & Parliament, Spruce & Parliament and at Gerrard & Ontario.
Crime Update
There’s a popular scam doing the rounds – someone calls your business, claims to be from a neighbour’s business, needs a loan to pay for an imminent delivery, and comes over right away to collect the cash. Of course, when the loan is supposed to be repaid, no one has ever heard about the delivery and your cash is long gone.
A guy tried this at the BIA office on Thursday. Fortunately, the police were able to nab him. Very satisfying. (Needless to say, he should have tried this game with someone who actually has some money – but that’s another story.)
This event really underlines that we need to be a bit careful. Don’t just take the scam guy’s word for this: double check and call your neighbour’s business back when the first phone call is finished. Again, no matter what happens, be sure to tell the police. Many of these involve small amounts ($25 or $50 – in our case, $85) but the police will hunt for the guy. At the BIA, we called 911 and they responded and caught him.
New Specials at Epicure Shop
Epicure (473 Parliament) now has Breakfast Bagel Melts at only $2.99 and Tuesday homemade Italian pizza by the slice or on the lunch special.
Celebrate Earth Day with Loonie or Less
Eco friendly options available for $1 include 100% biodegradeable and compostable garbage bags, 100% recycled and recyclable black garbage bags, plus 100% recycled bathroom tissues, paper towels and napkins. Every day can be Earth Day with help from Loonie or Less (480 Parliament).
Cycle Solutions Has Spring Tune-Ups
The rush is on at Cycle Solutions, getting bikes ready for everyone for the spring season. You can avoid the line-ups by making an appointment (444 Parliament, 416-972-6948). A small refundable deposit will reserve your desired time slot with next-day delivery back to you. Spring tune-ups are now available at $45.Fundraising for a China Trip
Adrian Junior, son of Patty Junior from The Epicure Shop, is headed to China in the summer to help children living in poverty. His trip is part of a project organized by Cabbagetown’s Free The Children (233 Carlton). They work on development projects in rural and impoverished areas across the world and they’ve already built thousands of classrooms. Adrian needs to raise $5000 to pay his costs. You can make your donations at The Epicure Shop (473 Parliament). Any help is greatly appreciated.
Parliament Street Construction
Enbridge is installing new gas mains along Parliament from Winchester south to Shuter. Their work is happening in two stages. First, they’re digging a trench along the street, putting in a new pipe and then temporarily filling it. In the second stage, individual buildings will be connected to the big pipe and the road and sidewalk will be given a more permanent repair. This work is scheduled for April with an early May completion date.Big Box Campaign
The Board of Management at the BIA has passed a motion opposing plans for a retail power centre on Eastern Avenue near Leslie. We’re also supporting efforts by the City of Toronto at the OMB to stop this development.
These retail power centers are the wrong approach to retail service in the city. They threaten whole neighbourhoods with their big box stores, vast parking lots, heavy traffic and low-wage jobs. At the OMB, the City will present a different vision, emphasizing the area’s strength in film and software companies.
A general meeting of BIA members is called for April 23 at the Wing Machine (Spruce & Parliament) at 6:30 pm to vote on the same resolution.
Office Space for Rent
A beautiful office in a very friendly building is available on June 1. Ideal (but not necessary) for someone in A/V or digital media. Call George or Neale at Number 9 Audio Group (416-348-8718, 222 Gerrard St E).
