Pick of the Day: One + The Other

If you've checked out Michelle Provost's show Selling Out (DogBlog) at the Dunlop Art Gallery you might remember an Egon Schiele action figure on the one wall. Born in Austria in 1890, Schiele was a protege of Austrian Symbolist painter Gustav Klimt who, prior to his death in 1918 at age 28 from the Spanish Flu, attracted both accolades and condemnation (for drawings of teenage girls that townsfolk where he lived regarded as pornographic).

I mention Schiele now because this contemporary dance performance by Vancouver-based artists Justine A. Chambers and Deanna Peters is apparently inspired in good part by images taken from his drawings and paintings with the goal, says advance publicity, of offering "an otherworldly look behind faces we show."

That's not much to go on, I know. But there is certainly plenty of fertile ground to be explored in the disjunction that exists in most people's lives between their public persona and personal reality. I'm looking forward to seeing which pathways Chambers and Peters chose to explore.

One + The Other runs tonight and Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. at New Dance Horizons (2207 Harvey St., $15.)

Transit Plan Heading to Council

Just came back from the Community and Protection Services Committee meeting at which the Transit Investment Plan was discussed. In short, it's recommendations were passed unanimously by the committee so it will be going on to council with their endorsement.

This was another of those big idea meetings that attracted a big turnout from the community. Five delegations spoke before the committee, four of which were there to laud the report and the transit department for putting it together. The last delegation was also generally favourable of it but had issues with the placement of the downtown transit hub and how it would affect parking. (Always, the bloody parking.)

Also discussed at this meeting was the proposed transit fare increase. It too passed unanimously and will go forward to council for final approval.

Here, there was one delegation who spoke against the hike. Her points were interesting: The last increase came last summer so this is two increases over a year and there hasn't been a similar boost to welfare or the minimum wage. The fare increase, then, hits low income families disproportionately hard. The administration pointed out, though, that Regina's service is still among the most affordable in the country and the fare increase is needed to subsidize the transit improvements people are clamouring for.

Sooooo.... I guess the elephant in the room is that nifty transit plan isn't going to get very far if the transit department and council can't come up with other ways to fund it. Fare hikes can't do it all. The report makes mention of seeking out other funding options -- presumably through the federal and provincial governments -- but it remains to be seen if they'll find them.

Pick of the Day: Tuesdays With Morrie

Through movies like I Love You, Man and Pineapple Express the term "bromance" has entered the popular lexicon. I wouldn't put this Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom-penned memoir in the same homosocial category. But it does concern male bonding. It's just that instead of being two horn-dogs out on one last toot before one of them gets married or whatever other salacious plot contrivance the screenwriter/director/producer opted for to pique audience interest, the male protagonists here are an elderly Chicago sociology professor named Morrie Schwartz and a former student of his named Mitch who reconnects with his mentor after happening to catch him being interviewed on Nightline one night.

Directed by Andrew North, and starring Richard Binsley as Morrie and Geoffrey Whynot as Mitch, Tuesdays With Morrie opens on the Globe Theatre's main stage tonight. It runs until March 6, and is one hour and twenty minutes long with no intermission.

Les Aventures Extraordinaires D'Adèle Blanc-Sec

Or The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec is the latest film from French director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Leon: The Professional, Nikita).

It's been awhile since Besson has directed a film. He's written at least 40 movies and produced over 80 but only directed just over 10.

This film is based on famed French comic creator Jacques Tardi. There have been at least 9 volumes so far although there hasn't been an English adapation since the early 90's. Dark Horse Comics had reprinted them in an anthology series called Cheval Noir which has been out of print for decades and NBM had collected a couple of them in the mid-1990's but those too are out of print.

Still the film looks very cool. No idea if and when it will reach North America though.

Six In The AM: The Transit Investment Plan Edition

The Transit Investment Plan was released on Friday to virtually no fanfare. It’s a comprehensive document that outlines a series of recommendations on how to make Regina’s transit system function better. And like the Downtown Neighbourhood Plan, it seems to say all the right things: Make transit a priority. Increase ridership. Improve pedestrian and cycling networks. Integrate with the Downtown Plan. Make transit more user friendly. Expand service. Speed service up.

Want a taste of what to expect from its 260 pages? Here are six standout recommendations to whet you’re appetite....

1. MORE DIRECT ROUTES: The route network has been redesigned according to something they’ve dubbed the Top Down Plan. Basically, the plan keeps the downtown as the hub for transit -- most major routes will be stopping at a spot just north of the main library -- but the routes will meander less and not penetrate quite so far into the suburbs. To service those areas, there will be a series of short buses that run shorter shuttle loops. In theory, while people may have to transfer a little more often, overall transit and wait times will shrink.

2. HOLIDAY SERVICE: These new schedules will finally provide long-overdue holiday and Sunday service. Yay! No more sitting around on Family Day doing nothing because the buses aren’t running.

3. MAKE TRANSIT COMPETITIVE: There are a few ideas on how to make transit more attractive to more people. Things like, an overall parking management strategy that could lead to higher parking prices downtown -- oh, I can almost hear the hue and cry already. (Here’s hoping someone will do the same at the UofR.) Also, dedicated bus lanes will be added to major streets to improve transit speed and reliability. And, the Transit Department will take another stab at getting a UPass for post secondary students and consider things like making transit passes available to businesses and communities.

4. MORE BUSES: Our current fleet is looking pretty old and many aren’t fully accessible. The plan recommends purchasing up to 12 buses every year.

5. GET THE WORD OUT: A transit marketing manager will be hired to expand awareness of RTS’s improved service. Customer information will be improved through things like a more interactive website and GPS on buses that’ll allow for live updates about how the buses are running. You’ll be able send a text to RTS and find out when exactly your bus will arrive. Nifty.

6. SERVICE TO THE AIRPORT: About bloody time.

There’s more of course. Lots more. Smart cards. Annual fare increases. Heated shelters. Oh, and a note about how supervisory positions will be made union-exempt to reduce conflicts of interest. I imagine there’ll be more than a few RTS employees who’re none too happy about that one.

Still, from my cursory read, it looks like a plan that’s headed in the right direction. It will go before the Community and Protective Services Committee tomorrow at 4pm. If you want to show up to show your support or to offer a critique, you can attend the meeting and have your say. If it gets through there, it’ll presumably go before council at their next meeting (which will be, I believe, February 22).

The plan can be download on the city's website. And if you want to discuss it in an open, friendly, online forum, there’s a comment button below.

Pick of the Day: Sour Milk & Paper Cows.

Pickings are pretty slim tonight, but I did unearth -- or should I say, I disinterred -- this event at the RPL Theatre at 7 p.m. where Regina Leader-Post journalists Jana Pruden and Barb Pacholik (pictured, with Pacholik on the left) discuss the two books of true-life Saskatchewan crime stories that they've written together.

On a busier night, I might not even have mentioned this. It's not that Pruden and Pacholik don't deserve kudos for their reporting. It's just that their employer, the Leader-Post, tends to play crime and violence up pretty big. It helps sales, I know. But it also creates a distorted perception of the level of crime in our society. Yes, horrific things still happen. But overall crime rates have been dropping steadily over the last 40 years.

But when the public sees crime stories regularly played up on the front page of the local daily with graphic colour photos and inflammatory headlines it's inevitable that many will conclude crime is out of control and support stronger law and order measures and related restrictions on civil liberties in the name of safety and security. The L-P even has a Moment in Crime blog on their website that Pruden and Pacholik (and Heather Polischuck) all contribute to.

Now, I'm not an apologist for criminals. But when it comes to preserving law and order in Regina, my impression of the budgeting process is that the police basically go to City Council every year with a blank cheque for them to sign. I'm no anti-cop radical either. I have members of my extended family who have served on police forces. But in 2009, the Regina Police Services budget was over $50 million. That's 20-per cent of city expenditures. Which is a helluva lot of coin.

But with this book, Pruden and Pacholik aren't exploiting the sad fact of crime in our lives or using it to further a political agenda. They're exploring it from a sociological perspective as it relates to the unique nature of life in Saskatchewan from pioneer times on with factors like isolation, racism, poverty and dislocation all figuring in.

Should be an interesting discussion.

New Marriage Initiative Encounters Controversy

I think this news item is meant more to satirize the heated debate in the United States over gay marriage then it is to poke fun at conservative middle class America, although it certainly does that. (The Onion)

Regina Urban Ecology: A Good Read

Regina Urban Ecology is a great, newish blog on city-planning-type issues from Laura Pfeifer and Martin Gourlie. From their About page:

"This is a forum to discuss the many aspects of the urban experience in Regina, Saskatchewan. We use the term 'urban ecology' to encompass issues of urban planning and design, aspects of community, art and culture, as well as the natural ecology of the city. It is a place to discuss how a unique urban experience is built and developed."

I'm a total nerd for stuff like this. They've only been around since September but already there's a sizeable collection of posts. Presently, on the front page, there are good articles on Regina's new "Infinite Horizons" brand and on the Walmart shuttle.

This Week at City Hall: Transit Review, Debt Shuffle and a Bus Fare Increase

Tuesday, February 16
Public Works Committee (4 pm): Looking at the installation of water meters in new buildings. Presently, water meters aren't installed until after a building is built and during construction a flat rate is applied for water use. Under the system being proposed, meters would be installed when construction begins and builders would be charged for the water they actually use.

Wednesday, February 17
Executive Committee (11:45 am): Apparently, in the past, when railway land has come up for sale, the city hasn't had a plan on how or when or if to purchase it for expansion of city services or to make available for housing or roads or what have you. Currently, there doesn't seem to be any railway land that'll imminently become available, but if Executive Committee accepts a recommendation coming forward this week, they will incorporate a railway land purchasing strategy into the Official Community Play.

They will also be looking at shuffling around some of their debt. The city currently has $42 million in debentures it took out to cover the cost of providing water and sewage services to the Global Transportation Hub. Turns out, they didn't need that cash as the cost of providing that service was cheaper than expected ($20-something million instead of $40-something million) and the provincial and federal governments paid for it. Instead of paying off the $42 million, Executive Committee is considering using the money for other capital projects. If they do this, they'll avoid paying a penalty for paying off their debt early. Plus, they're going to have to take out debentures to cover the capital projects anyway, so using these debentures saves them the trouble of getting new ones.

Also on the agenda, are some technical stuff about the Recreation Infrastructure Canada Fund Contribution Agreement (specifically, approvals are needed so the city clerk and mayor can negotiate and administer the federal government's $750,000 contribution), a request $135,413 to cover updates to the Regina Police Service radio system and a $122,500 contract for off-site storage of municipal documents.

Community and Protective Services Committee (4 pm): The transit review is finally here! Although they're officially calling it the Transit Investment Plan. So, Community and Protective Services Committee will be having a gander at this. It's kind of a big deal and at 260 pages, probably warrants a post of its own.

Also on their agenda are an increase in transit and paratransit fees. Expect to see the cost of riding the bus go up to $2.50 for an adult. The committee will also look at a report on the Campus Express service which shows transit usage by students is up since its introduction -- now if we could just get all the little anarchists and Ayn Rand fanboys to kick in for a universal UPass system the route might become sustainable. Did I just suggest our city's post-secondary student body is overrun with anarchists and Ayn Rand fanboys? Yes I did. But that's okay because I'll bet you dollars for donuts nary a one will read this far into this incredibly long, incredibly dull city hall update. It's Reading Week and they're all off getting drunk and syphillitic in Florida while I'm freezing my ass off here.

Yes, it's a particularly bitter Monday.

The committee will also be looking at increases in the greens fees at city owned golf courses. The city owns six golf courses.... that blows my mind a little. Why does the city own six golf courses? Is that a usual thing for a city to own?

As usual, blah blah blah, blah blah blah, the city website.

Pick of the Day: Fragmented

If you saw this image in the 14 Days section of our Feb. 11 issue you might well have wondered what the hell it was all about. Well, as you can likely infer from the info in the inset box, it's from an art exhibition by Regina painter Antoinette Herivel called Fragmented that's on at the Art Gallery of Regina until March 11.

If you happened to read the adjacent blurb in the Galleries & Museums section you would've learned that Herivel's inspiration for the show came from a reading of her grandmother's letters and diary-entries describing her WWII experience living under Nazi-occupation on the British island of Jersey.

Now I haven't actually seen this show yet (it just opened Feb. 10). But it looks like a solid one. In this work, which is called Die Festung [perhaps after a German novel by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim (who also wrote Das Boot) based on a journey he took across occupied France in 1944] words like "dissident", "inspection", "patrols" and "underground" leap out. I haven't seen too much, if any, of Herivel's work in recent years, but it does mark a big, and welcome, departure from what she used to to.

It's on until March 11. Check it out if you get a chance.