A place to stand in a spa like it’s Austria
Discover more from Twelve Thirty Six
A revitalization of Ontario Place will involve three companies revealed by sources to the Globe and Mail: Quebec tourism site developer Écorécréo, the Austrian spa company Therme Group, and Live Nation beyond its existing Budweiser Stage. The report on the closed-door bidding outcome is a culmination of a decade of deliberations.
The longest day of park drama
An early morning visit by cops as part of an ongoing series of downtown Toronto park encampment clearings turned into a day of clashes that culminated in 26 arrests outside Lamport Stadium. It was followed by further confrontations in a protest outside the 14 Division station. Police involvement in these scenarios is being questioned louder now.
Toronto FC drew Canada’s largest crowd since the pandemic began. With about 15,000 fans at BMO Field, up from the 7,000 allowed in last weekend, things got closer to normal ahead of baseball coming back. The return of the Toronto Blue Jays will also have a crowd capped at 15,000, with one-third designated as physically distant pods.
Politics in a time of OnlyFans
The inevitable next round of candidates being humiliated in a federal election due to discovered digital detritus is preceded by a story in Nova Scotia. But while Liberal leader Iain Rankin initially said it was Robyn Ingraham’s decision to quit her run on the day a provincial election was called, she says she was told to lie about why she exited:
“I wish my mother and father were alive to see this. It’s a long way from Saskatoon.” Joni Mitchell responded to news that she was among the 2021 recipients of Kennedy Center Honors. It’s a shorter distance from Toronto, but fellow honouree Lorne Michaels expressed relief that the event doesn’t involve any acceptance speeches.
Finally, the new pricing of fame
Kevin Parry is a stop-motion animator from Toronto making his own shape-shifting videos as a seemingly successful player in what’s increasingly touted as “the creator economy.” But he’s also exposed the fact that despite growing demand for his skills, he didn’t earn a cent from the attention a clip that accrued over 75 million views received:
