Coffee and Holiday Cheer

This past December we at Urbanspace hosted our now annual Tenant Holiday Breakfast. On a quiet morning close to the holidays we opened up Suite 200, which was still vacant, and invited tenants in to enjoy some hot coffee and delicious fresh baked treats from Cinnamon Girls.   

Everyone had a chance to mingle with their neighbours and also get a behind the reception desk peek at the rest of the sprawling Suite 200. We were even able to provide a warm Robertson Building welcome to the new tenants Dominion Voting who stopped by.

www.cinnamongirls.ca
www.dominionvoting.com

Photo captions: Attendees at the Tenant Holiday Breakfast (left to right): Urbanspace Property Group’s VP Construction + Capital ProjectsMonica Contreras, Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) Labour Relations Manager Sandy Crawley, Toronto Alliance for the Perfoming Arts (TAPA) Executive Director Jacoba Knappen, and Green Enterprise Toronto (GET) Network Director Chris Lowry.
Jantzi Research Executive Director Michael Jantzi with Urbanspace Property GrGroup’s Dennis Mantin

Green Corner: Composting 101

One of the best kept secrets at the Robertson Building is that we do have an informal composting program. So far, we have been trying it out with just a few tenants but are now ready to expand it to everyone on a trial basis.

The compost is collected in large bins marked “compost only” on the third, fourth, and fifth floors near the freight elevator. For the time being we are going to use only these collection sites, but may expand this depending on how things go. These bins are transported by our staff to our composting units on the roof.

Please keep in mind that this is not like your green bin at home – the composting is only of organic matter like fruits and vegetables. No meat, oils, breads, or other items can be included.

Composting has numerous environmental benefits that fit well with the values of the community at 215 Spadina. Composting not only provides an opportunity for waste diversion keeping organic matter out of landfill, but creates a highly beneficial product that can be easily put into action in our roof garden. The composting process encourages the production of beneficial micro-organisms, which break down organic matter to create humus. This rich nutrient-filled material increases the nutrients and moisture retention in soils. Compost has also been shown to suppress plant diseases and pests, and reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers. 

As a special incentive to get you going on this new program, Dennis Fryer will be delivering some biodegradable bags that you can use for collection.

For more information you can visit the Composting Council of Canada at: www.compost.org

Photo caption: Dennis Mantin, Maintenance and Mechanical Systems and Dennis Fryer, Building Operator, with the new composting bin on the roof at 215 Spadina.

Profile: Professional Association of Canadian Theatres

In the words of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatre’s
(PACT, Suite 210) Executive Director Lucy White, in thirty years of working
with non-profit theatres on basic issues like funding “lots has changed, and lots hasn’t changed.” One big change for PACT is that they are about to move into a new larger space at 215 Spadina, Suite 555, as they are virtually busting at the seams in their current shared space. The growth of the organization has been gradual and feels like a natural evolution, but if you had asked Lucy six years ago if they would have six people on staff she’s not sure what she would have said.

As Lucy explains, “each leap has been perfectly logical and natural…in hindsight. Each time there’s been an element of risk-taking – should we do this, should we not? What we try to do is work within our existing resources and when we identify new areas we want to work in we very carefully plan out that activity so it can sustain itself over time. That way it’s not entirely dependent on a single line in a grant application or a single revenue stream to create long-term continuity. As an organization we’re not terribly old, but we’re starting to create a legacy and we have to
make sure that everything we do is building on what we’ve done before and towards where we want to go.”

So where has PACT been and where are they going? PACT has worked for three decades doing advocacy work for non-profit theatre companies on a range of issues and ensuring that professional theatres have a voice. They have a solid labour relations portfolio and do collective bargaining with artists associations such as Canadian Actor’s Equity, Playwrights Guild of Canada, Associated Designers of Canada, and L’Association des professionnels des arts de la scène du Québec (APASQ). PACT does research and communications making sure their 143 members have all
the practical information they need. As part of their growth as an organization they are also doing more professional development work: “We are working to identify those things that theatre management requires and create training materials and opportunities for people that are very specific to the theatre environment – the things you need after you graduate from university that will actually help you with the practical skills of running a theatre company.

The wave of baby boomers, representing a huge segment of the work force, are edging closer to retirement affecting the nature of work in most sectors. Not only will there be an increase in high-level openings for new up-and-comers, but it may also mean internal changes to the employment structures and how work is done. “Ever since the first Cana-dian theatre was established it has been constantly evolving. Theatre administration has to be creative in the same way that theatre arts are creative. Where that shift is going specifically, I’m not sure. Each new person in an organization changes the dynamic, so certainly arts organizations are going to change in the same way that audiences and the practice of the art changes. But a profound human connection is at the
core of theatre and that doesn’t change.” In this new climate, there will
be more openings than ever before for fresh young talent to take on the creative task of making theatre happen. Live theatre will evolve to reflect these changes and as always part of that project will be to attract new audiences.  

The connection between theatre and the community has always been strong. Not only in the most obvious sense of communicating with audiences, but also in a broader context relating to how the arts and creativity in general contribute to societal well-being. “Theatre artists have always known that they have a specific role in a community, which is to reflect on, comment, challenge, provoke, and stimulate audiences. What seems to be happening is that decision makers are catching up to what we’ve already known. We’re seeing more and more debate about the important role that creative thinking and expression have in the formation of a really healthy society. The danger is that art then gets seen as simply an instrument of some kind of social policy, so what we have to
explain is that artists need to be central in this discussion and in formulating what our approach is going to be.” PACT will continue to take on the task of ensuring that theatre companies are part of any discussion about city-building and not simply utilized as tools for a creative city agenda or tourism brochure.

It’s hard to know what the future holds for live theatre. Although there are shifts that can be seen on the horizon, what exactly these changes will bring is anyone’s guess. For PACT, they will continue to move with the tide and do their best to anticipate changes and provide the support and resources non-profit theatre needs to continue flourishing. “I think theatre as an art form is also well-positioned to be a natural relief to electronic media and communication. Theatre is about a profound personal connection and to participate in theatre either as an actor or an audience is another connection that is not like sitting in front of your computer screen. One of the more exciting things that we can see is the opportunity to re-engage with audiences and to offer them a genuine human alternative.”

www.pact.ca 

Photo caption: Professional Association of Canadian Theatres’ staff (left to right): Labour Relations + Professional Development Manager Sandy Crawley, Membership Services Coordinator Clelia Farrugia, Policy Intern Jasmine Spei, Advocacy + Development Manager Samantha Fox, Executive Director Lucy White. Absent: Administrative Assistant Nan Carson, and Office Administrator Janis Hobson

Social Entrepreneurship Summit

This past December amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI, Suite 120 + 400) co-hosted the first ever Social Entrepreneurship Summit. The summit was organized in partnership with MaRS, the Boston Consulting Group, and the Toronto City Summit Alliance, and brought together some of Canada’s most innovative entrepreneurs.    

The concept was to create a space where innovators who utilize the market towork towards social return, are able to create connections and share ideas. The first event of the summit, the Social Enterprise Think-In was held at CSI and gathered close to 250 participants for Speed Geek and Speed Brainstorm sessions. SpeedGeek, (“like speed dating without the awkward silences”) allowed people in smaller groups to cycle through ten innovative models of Toronto’s social enterprise landscape. They got an idea of how these groups were blending sectors and creating new ways of moving forward in a setting where they could ask the vital questions that will hehelp them expand their own practices.   

This was followed by a Speed Brainstorm session that addressed the question: how can we create an enabling environment to foster social enterprise in Toronto? The summit continued with lectures and panel discussions held at the MaRS Centre.   

For a great overview of the summit, you can read CSI Executive Director Tonya Surman’s post at: www.socialinnovation.ca/blog/social-entrepreneurship-summit-was-great-success

Photo captions: Delegates from the Social Entrepreneurship Summit gather in the Centre for Social Innovation for the Social Enterprise Think-In. Photo: Yvonne Bambrick
Social entrepreneurs participate in a speed geek session atthe Social Etnreprise Think-In. Photo: Yvonne Bambrick

Tides Top Ten

It’s refreshing to see a top ten list celebrating environmental sustainability and social change superstars. Since 2003 Tides Canada (Suite 360), a national public foundation, has selected ten organizations each year that have made great strides to build a more socially responsible planet. This year Tides found two of its recipients right at their doorstep in the Centre for Social Innovation (Suite 120 + 400): ForestEthics (Suite 425) and the Sustainability Network (Suite 128).
ForestEthics has created a revolutionary new approach to protecting endangered forests and the international organization was recognized by Tides for their effective campaigns that were instrumental in protecting some of Canada’s most vital forests and habitats. The Sustainability Network works with environmental non-profits to make them more effective and efficient and was recognized for their decade long achievement in capacity building for these groups helping them work smarter and become more effective in saving the planet.

www.sustain.web.ca
www.forestethics.org
www.tidescanada.org
www.socialinnovation.ca

Photo caption: Tides Canada’s Top Ten List winners (left to right) Sustainability Network’s Paul Bubelis with ForestEthics’ Gillian MacEachern
and Leah Henderson. Photo: Yvonne Bambrick.

Winterscape

Even in the winter time, when all the meadow flowers are just brown twigs covered in snow, the roof garden at 215 Spadina still offers up some treats for the eye. Amidst all the snow and ice a hibiscus tucked away in the roof atrium is offering up some incredible scarlet blossoms and delicate icicles catch the light dangling from door handles and railings.