Michael Monastyrskyj

I spent most of my life in Toronto. I left because of the cost of housing. I ended up in a good place, but I worry about those who aren't as lucky.

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

I used to walk by this phone everyday. Maybe I should call to see how my old neighbourhood is doing.

[647-483-6060 @_6474836060]

Yay! The street phone is operational again!

Call 647-483-6060 and some random person walking down Bloor St. West in Toronto may answer.

(Please retweet to get the phone ringing...)

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

2) At one time this was a Protestant church. I don't know which denomination, but I remember my mother taking me there to be vaccinated. I also remember when Portuguese immigrants started moving into the area as Italians started moving north. It's interesting how things change

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

1) I learned today that the Catholic archdiocese of Toronto closed St. Sebastian's church on Pauline two years ago, because demographic changes reduced the demand for Portuguese services. The closure is old news, but I just found out because I moved out of the city

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

A frightening story about the power of money in the service of antidemocratic ideology.

[More Perfect Union @MorePerfectUS]

NEW: Tech billionaires are waging a hostile takeover in Solano County, CA.

They’ve spent $900 million to buy land and are trying to build their own private city from scratch.

Local activists are fighting back, but the battle has just begun.

[Social Planning Toronto @planningtoronto]

1 in 10 Torontonians must now rely on a #foodbank. #TOPoli #FoodSecurity

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

I love this building. Cities change and you can't save everything, but this is a beautiful structure. Reducing it to a façade would be vandalism.

[Alex Bozikovic @alexbozikovic]

Bad news. One of the best 19c buildings in Toronto - 149 College, by Old City Hall architect E.J. Lennox, 1894 - is now a potential development site. 

This means this structure could be reduced to a facade.

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

Very concerning. It sounds to me like a story that deserves more attention.

[Naujawan Support Network @NSNPeel]

BREAKING: On Labour Day yesterday, dozens of workers hand-delivered a letter to the owners of Live Freely Foods, a Mississauga industrial bakery, to demand tens of thousands in unpaid wages. They have been protesting in front of the company at 6310 Kestrel Rd since Mon Aug 28.🧵

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

@Toon_Dreessen You understand housing better than I do.

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

@Penalosa_G For better or worse, they're popular. Whenever I've gone to the lakefront to watch, there were huge crowds. I understand your criticism, but you can't wave away the fact that a lot of people love watching fast planes. How are you going to convince them to stop?

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

@Toon_Dreessen I don't like Ford but he handles himself well in front of the media. I'm afraid a lot of people are going to buy his line that he's only trying to build needed houses. Most voters aren't paying attention to what urban planners are saying about the need to change zoning by-laws.

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

This seems like an important point.

[AJ Wray, PhD @WrayAJ]

In the mid-2000s, large entities like Oxford and Cadillac Fairview started adding more residential to their portfolios. The rationale? Residential rentals are a considerably more stable asset class than other real estate classes. Safe, predictable returns for your pensioners.

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

This seems like a good explanation of financialization.

[AJ Wray, PhD @WrayAJ]

Financialization is a widely accepted term within the geography and planning circle:

"The process whereby finance capital and financial institutions account for a greater share of all economic activity." (Oxford Dictionary of Human Geography)

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

I've often wondered what people mean by financialization. I always thought it had something to do with investors and speculators buying up property, but I've never been sure what the word means.

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

I've often wondered how St. Clarens Ave in Toronto got its name. I'm guessing it's connected to this St. Clarens in Ireland. I haven't found any other St. Clarens.

[Brian Phelan @secretcinema1]

#botd Anjelica Huston, St Clarens, Ireland, 1968, Eve Arnold

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

@jeremy_hopkin I used to live on St. Clarens. Bartlett's was still in business in the 1970's, maybe even 80's. Their sewing shop is still there. The current owners use it to repair musical instruments.

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

People who say Ukraine should give up territory for peace should read and think about this story.

[Jane Lytvynenko @JaneLytv]

I had to stop reading this story, breathe, then continue.

Ukrainians detained by Russians are forced into slave labor, digging trenches and graves. They're made to wear Russian uniforms to be used as human shields. And Russia is building more prisons.
https://t.co/KCid81mh33

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

Ukrainians living under Russian occupation aren't happy.

[Maksym Borodin @adnashmyash]

Putin and Russian state media: Ukrainians on occupied by Russia territories are happy to become part of Russia!

Russian war volunteers who visit these areas:
- more than 70% of Ukrainians leaking information about Russian forces to Ukraine;
- even old people ready to help Ukraine to hit Russian forces;
- Russians afraid to stay in night among civilians on occupied territories;
- Ukrainians hate Russian soldiers and volunteers and not give them fuel services;
- Ukrainians don't need "Russian world" in Ukraine;
- most of Ukrainians on occupied territories is Ukrainian people who speaks Ukrainian language...

So for what "liberation" Russia killed hundred thousands of Ukrainians and destroy entire Ukrainian cities in the Donbas???

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

@anotherglassbox There are talented street artists, but all too often their work is destroyed by taggers. I don't know how you police this, but it's frustrating to see beautiful murals obliterated by ugly tags.

[Michael Monastyrskyj @MMonastyrskyj]

@mattgallowaycbc This morning you said the destruction of Kakhovka dam doesn't just affect Ukrainians. It also affects people in Russian-controlled areas. FYI, people on both sides of the Dnipro are Ukrainian. Ukrainians living under Russian occupation are still Ukrainian.