Been a long time...

New chapters, big moments, and a whole lotta change has happened since I last posted.

It would have been easy to just walk away, and leave this behind - but a few years of blogging about my first bit of life, and love, for Toronto - needed a proper send off.

So - thank you for reading - hope you felt the same love I feel for my city - and good riddance to Rob Ford.

The first step into our switch to a more 'paleo' lifestyle - was our switch from traditional cooking oils (we'd always have a vegetable & olive oil in the house) to almost only* coconut oil. (*I say almost, because we do occasionally dabble in the olive oil for things like a grilled steak - which is allowed under our 'paleo rules' - but I just wanted to point it out). 

So - what are your options? Why can coconut oil be so expensive? Are there actually benefits?

We actually made the switch to coconut oil before we actually changed our diet - Michelle pointed out one day that she read somewhere that outside of North America - coconut oil is the most used cooking oil in the world, and without really looking into it - it's one of those things that just 'made sense' in my mind. It's a natural product, commonly found and extracted - and the less crap we could put in our bodies - the better. So the next time we went out, we bought our first 'tin'. 

We (mistakenly) opted to spend as little as possible, and when we saw this little dandy for only about $3.00 at Food Basics (and apparently at Metro, according to my sister) - we thought we struck gold.

We brought it home - it looked how we expected, and acted like we had read about (easily melted, even easier to burn), but it always stuck with me that this was SO much cheaper than ANY option we found elsewhere. At the time though, despite the strange lack of any sort of coconut smell or flavour - I was more cheap, than I was worried about the quality of the food we bought - and so - we continued (probably 4-5 tins were bought, and used, by the end of it).

Then one day (recently actually) I paid closer attention to some of the recipes in this great book my sister got us for Christmas ('The Paleo Desert Bible' by Anna Conrad), and noticed that many of the recipes called for specifically "Unrefined" coconut oil - which obviously got me thinking - and searching...only to find out that we had been using the refined version all along - which although is still a better choice for Paleo-followers, not nearly as natural, as its unrefined predecessor. 

The real difference: The refined product undergoes a series of processes - which include disgusting words like bleaching, and deodorizing - whereas the unrefined version is both organic, and straight from the source, with a full coconut smell, and flavour. 

The Bulk Barn option

So - what are you options - if you're still looking for a deal, like we were?

We started with the obvious...Bulk Barn. They have some great organic, and healthy food options, and actually sell virgin, unrefined coconut oil in bulk, for a shade over $2.00 per 100 grams - which we felt (after a quick look at Loblaws, and our local organic store The Big Carrot) was a pretty good price. We figured it would hold us over until we could really research the prices, and the best value (we really wanted to get rid of that crap we fell in love with, above...). 

The difference was night and day - the oil was so natural-feeling, and tasting - that you could eat it straight and not feel disgusting. The price though - was another story.

So...where are we now?

Despite Loblaws recently releasing a PC branded organic coconut oil (see it here) at a reasonable $14.99 for 800 grams of oil - we found an even BIGGER deal in Grace's new 1000 gram jar for the same price - breaking down to only $1.49 per 100 grams - more than 25% cheaper than Bulk Barn! So far so good - and combined with the new PAM Coconut Oil cooking spray (refined, but we'll take it for things that need crisping) - we've been able to stretch our oil further, at a reasonable cost. 

Our current oil lineup - (from left to right) Grace
Organic Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil,
EV Olive Oil, Pam Coconut Oil Spray

So - should you make the change? Yes! It comes with a higher price tag, but I find that not only is the oil a more natural choice, but the price will keep you honest when you use it - rather than the 10 'glugs' you might use of your current veg. oil.

Paleo or not - we could all use a little less processing in our lives.

I've said it before - and I'll say it again - I started this blog to document my own thoughts, and share with anyone that wants to follow along - and as my life changes, so does what I'm passionate about. So - here we are - from 'Just Add Ginger' to 'Steak & Streetcars'  - only because I think it keeps me on track of what I really want to post about - my love & discovery of food ('Steak'), and my passion for the politics of Toronto ('Streetcars'). From here on out (aside for any important asides) - that's where I'll stay in my thoughts. So - here we go....

Switching our major to Paleo

But - if you know my wife Michelle and I - you'll know that this past (nearly) year has been a very different one for us in terms of our lifestyle, when it comes to what we put in our bodies - and that's what I mean by 'paleo'.

A quick note - I'll be using the word diet in this post, and going forward, as I post more about our eating habits - but I don't want you to think it means a diet in the traditional "trying to lose weight" sense...

"the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats."

It's simply a way of eating, for the better or worse.

For us though - the Paleo diet has been for the better - and one of the reasons for making some changes to my blog, and inspring me to post a bit more, is because I feel like I should share some of the things we do to make eating this way realistic, affordable, and not so boring!

Our cupboard choices have clearly evolved...

For those that aren't familiar - the paleo diet is a throwback diet - a WAYback playback - to when our ancestors hunted and gathered anything they ate. No ingredients that require processing, which leaves you with a really natural diet. There's no grains, no legumes, no dairy allowed - with a few small exceptions - which you can read about in full, at this great beginner's guide here (this was my introduction, and it was great).

Whether you prescribe to these 'rules' or not - I think some of what it offers is great - whether you eat gluten-free, dairy-free, or just want to eat a bit more natural - so I urge you to follow along as I start to share my experiences a bit more.

The more I make myself involved in municipal politics, the more I realize how, and why people voted for Rob Ford, and why people will vote for someone like Doug Ford, John Tory, or Olivia Chow - despite all of the above taking not much more power than the Mike Layton's, or Mary Fragedakis' on council - regular council members.

Can you spot the person with more power than the rest? Trick question - there is none!

Every time I have a conversation with someone about the election - people are polarized.

I don't trust John Tory.

Olivia Chow will spend all of our money.

I'm afraid of Doug Ford - he's slimy.

They always go back to the candidate platforms though - subways, child care, community housing repairs, road repairs - despite none of these candidates being able to further these goals without the support of a united council. Would I vote for Doug Ford if I thought he had the power to move ahead with his subway plan? Maybe - I like subways - my support for LRT's has more about their likelihood of being built, than their effectiveness when compared to underground trains.

Here's the problem - you (and most voters) don't really understand municipal politics. 

We are all used to voting for a party, and a leader of that party that will have the power to move forward with their agenda.

When Stephen Harper runs his campaign based on lowering the HST to 12% - he has the power, the money, and the control to do that. You'll likely see those types of promises come to fruition in the years of a term (or you'd hope). Same goes for provincial politics.

Then it breaks down - and it's not made clear enough to residents - a mayor is not a position of power, but rather a position of representation. A mayor doesn't move agendas, budgets, or even items forward in council - they are more of an 'honorary' council member - that has the benefit of making appearances, and pretty well being the ultimate ambassador of any city.

Put it this way - Rob Ford voted against the most recent Toronto budget - but it didn't matter - the budget went ahead with most others voting in favour. So - before you get too excited about Olivia Chow's "decision" to switch back to a Scarborough LRT, Doug Ford's subways, or John Tory's 'SmartTrack' - know that none of those projects are decisions that any of those three will make alone. They will need to plead their case to their fellow council - like any other member - in order to get items voted ahead.

This is what I'm basing my decision on - the ability to bring council together for a decision. Who is the most well-spoken, who is the least hated by their peers, and who will act in a way that will represent Toronto the way I see our city.

So - how do we fix this?

To be honest - I don't think Torontonians should vote for their mayor, or if we do - the rules need to be stricter. If we eliminate a public-voted mayor, we would focus more on the councillors in our wards - who could then come together and elect (as a council) a representative to take on mayoral duties. THIS would be a democracy.

No longer would we have to listen to promises that could in no way be promised - and no longer would uninformed voters influence an election that affects more than they care about.

So....what do you think?

So, here we are - less than 2 months from the election - when the real campaign starts. It's still pretty crazy to me that this will have gone on for almost 11 months - and I hope that the next time around, changes are made. We've seen that much of what is said in the first 6 months is taken with a grain of salt, as well as the polls that we see - and it's almost a waste for any candidate to spend any significant time - when most voters don't make up their minds before the end of summer.

But, we've made it - and we're down to the 'big three' that we thought we would see. I'm still a little surprised that Karen Stintz backed out before Sarah Thompson or Soknacki - but they'll follow suit soon I'm sure - there's only so much money you're willing to spend on a losing platform.

The 'big three' - Rob Ford, Olivia Chow, and John Tory

Over the next month - I'm going to compare some of the biggest issues that the candidates are campaigning on (for just cause) - and surprise, surprise - I'm starting with transit.

We've heard their speeches, their lobbying, and their reasoning - but how different do these three plans look, how bold are they, and how realistic a shot in hell do they have of happening? Well - I'll try to impartially tell you.

Olivia Chow: Stintz 2.0...Cheap and Easy

Olivia Chow's Full Transit Plan

Olivia Chow's plan looks great - and I really like that she's put some emphasis on buses. Buses are the least 'sexy' part of any transit system, but they are the most versatile, and absolutely vital for a successful system. They are a low risk, high reward way to get people moving in areas that they might not be (or might not be moving well enough).

The highlights:

• Downtown Relief Subway Line
• Light Rail on Finch and Sheppard East
• Electrification of GO Lines
• Revert Scarborough Subway to Light Rail

Cost:

$15 million on buses + $3.2 billion on DRL + $0 on LRT Lines & GO Electrification (Dependant on provincial and federal dollars)

Where will it go?

I feel as though Chow's team has stretched themselves a mile wide, but only an inch deep. There is no way that Toronto will make decisions, let alone move forward on more than a couple of new transit projects during her potential term as mayor. She wants to get shovels in the ground now, but the debates around GO electrification, a DRL are challenges themselves - yet she wants to reverse council's recent decision on the Scarborough subway. Like I've mentioned, I might not like the decision - but it's made, so I think it's best to move forward. I think that this plan is for dreamers, not builders, and there's no way all of the pretty yellow and green get built. My guess is that if Chow gets elected, she'll get unanimous support on the increased bus funding (and it will make a difference), and the go ahead for the DRL; but she'll likely fail to get any traction on the GO electrification (since she'd have to work closely with the Liberal government).

Status if elected: Partially completed (Downtown Relief Line)

John Tory: Get on the GO



John Tory has the least ambitious of the three candidates, in the sense that he proposes only one new line, but suggests that it solves many of the issues that other plans try to address with multiple lines. Tory suggests that electrification of the GO lines is the most obvious, and realistic way to build transit, and I can't disagree, having suggested something similar myself a couple years back.

The highlights:

• Electrification of GO Lines
• Connection with Bloor/Danforth in East & West to create relief on current system
• Support for Scarborough Subway

Cost:

$2.5 billion + future property tax revenue

Where will it go?

Tory took a bold (and what some consider boring) approach to transit, in utilizing an already existing rail corridor for transit. He piggybacked on the Ontario Liberal government's plan to electrify the GO rail line, to build a London Overground type of service to compliment the subway system. If aligned properly, the plan does address the relief that the Yonge and Bloor lines need, as well as reaching some of the Northern, transit-starved parts of Etobicoke and Scarborough. Tory's plan looks the most practical on paper, but in order to get it done, he'll need to win over the support of Metrolinx stakeholders who see this idea as a pipe dream. Add to that, he'll need to convince people that this system will actually run through corridors that actually need transit - as GO tracks typically run outside of dense areas. Ultimately, it's high-risk, high-reward - Tory's put all of his eggs in this basket, and even if his funding plan is rock solid, he's still dependant on the Province.

Status if elected: Completed

Rob Ford: $5 Footlong...wrong subway



Rob Ford's plan is not surprising in how it looks, and what it proposes: "subways, subways, subways". He suggests that we kill any light rail that we can, and bury it all underground. I actually like the way his plan looks, and it ties the city together more than any of the other plans, in the least obtrusive way. Nobody argues against the performance and convenience of subways - but how do the costs look, and is this even possible?

The highlights:

• Downtown Relief Subway Line
• Revert Finch and Sheppard East LRT to Subways
• Bury Eastern Portion of Eglinton Crosstown
• Support for Scarborough Subway
• Future ideas for Toronto Council in 2435 ( ••••••• )

Cost:

$9 billion (Ford camp estimates) / $12 billion + (Council approved panel estimates) 

Where will it go?

So - what's the likelihood of seeing this plan unfold, should RoFo make his way back into the mayor's chair? Well, the Scarborough Subway is a done deal, the DRL will no doubt get support (these aren't unique to Ford), but his other more 'bold' ideas of changing all light rail to subways will never make the cut - in fact they've already been voted down in the past. That, coupled with the fact that he does not have any new ideas on how to fund these bohemith projects, means they're dead before they begin.

Status if elected: Partially completed (Scarborough subway)

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In the end - these are all bold ideas - Hell, any major addition should be considered bold - but what people seem to forget about whoever it is that we elect mayor, is that they do not have any power alone to get these projects built. Whoever you vote for on October 25th - make sure that it's the person whom you think will be able to bring council together to make decisions that are best for Toronto - because that's what a mayor should be.

I read a tagline for a book recently (fittingly on the subway) that said "a real leader lays the tracks, and lets others drive the train" - so let's hope our next mayor can do that.

A lot has happened this past week - well - maybe it hasn't happened yet, but a lot has been proposed to happen this past week, and I just can't keep up on my opinion pieces. So - today - it's a start...

Beautiful right?

At this week's council meetings, Denzil Minnan-Wong proposed renaming Toronto's historic Union Station to honour Canada's first prime minister John A. Macdonald. While I'm sure we all appreciate the sentiment of wanting to remember - there's something else with tons of great memories that we could also name it after: Union Station!

The building that exists right now has been open for almost 90 years, and its predecessors over 110 years - all whom have fallen into being called Union Station. This is the centre of Toronto's transit hub - regional, national, local - everyone winds up here at some point. We all know it as Union, remember it as Union, and will forever call it Union - no matter what the "official" name would be, so what's the point?

Aside from that - think of the financial commitment that would have to go into changing all city, TTC, GO, VIA, and other signage. It would be a disaster! For the next 20 years, we'd have tourists, and out of towners coming in looking for Union Station on their maps, and would be more than a little confused to find out they're inside of it when they thought they were in the J.A.M. station (which sounds like a hip-hop radio network btw). Leave it alone - let it be - focus your efforts on something more important.

Union...

More Union