Quelle Surprise! Rats on Spadina

So like many Toronto residents I've been entirely disgusted by the pictures and video of rats in the window at Lucky7 Chinese Restaurant on Spadina Avenue. The Public Health Department has done a sweep of Chinatown restaurants and closed a number of establishments under its licensing system and posted warnings on other establishments.

This is not a huge surprise to me. Spadina Avenue is disgusting. I love Kensington and I do understand the charm of the unkempt and true Asian feel of Spadina but for a long-time health standards have failed to meet our North American cultural requirements of cleanliness.

One only has to look in the gutters along Spadina south of College and in particular south of Baldwin, north of Dundas to see why we have the problems we do. While an erroneous CityTV report cited the location of the subway under Spadina (really?) I would imagine it has more to do with the amount of grease, blood and other viscous materials that are poured down local storm sewers. The sidewalks are permanently grease-stained as are the gutters. The gutters look like compost heaps at the worst of times. In the sweltering, humid heat of a Toronto summer the smell of rotting chicken is enough to make one gag.

So the City should feel very little compassion towards any of the businesses along Spadina. It's unfortunate too that some of the City's most impressive heritage assets line the streets of Spadina and Kensington. In bygone eras some planners might have suggested that the source of the best solution to this whole issue would be a match. Thankfully we've long since past that point and now appreciate the contribution that historic properties make to the character of our City and ourselves.

But for far too long, Politicians have struggled to solve this issue. The cleanliness issue is a symptom of a larger problem on Spadina. That problem is a general disrespect for the City and its rules. Parking laws are consistently violated to the point that unplated vehicles are used, drivers are on alert to vacate when parking enforcement comes around and the BIA has been forced to make ill-fated efforts to address this issue through private security firms. But it continues.

This issue will certainly test the mettle of City Councillor Adam Vaughan. His friends at City have so far not pinned him down on camera, preferring to go after Public Health Committee Chair John Filion. Toronto Public Health apparently failed to act after citizen complaints of rats until it was caught on video, though it is relatively difficult to prove rat infestation from visit-to-visit, at least to the point where a closure is ordered. However, this story is ill-timed as it comes on the heels of a negative story about the Lysterium outbreak.

This is where the Mayor needs to step in and reassure the public that its Health is in safe hands. Politically it would be wise for the Mayor to do a personal sweep of the businesses along Spadina. If I were his advisor, I'd get him out Guiliani-style, in full protective gear with a Task Force of Water/Wastewater, Public Health, Police, Fire, Buildings and Garbage Managers and Inspectors and private exterminators. They'd go door-to-door, inspecting kitchens, coolers, freezers, back alleys, grease and garbage bins.

And I'd get John Filion as far away from this issue as possible. We need toughness on this issue and Filion is simply ineffectual. The Mayor might also consider forming a task force, led by Councillor Vaughan with assistance from Councillor Lee (I do think a Chinese Councillor would help on this issue) and someone rather white from the rest of Toronto - a Cliff Jenkins or Mark Grimes type. This would give Vaughan a chance to shine, to introduce a new approach which he is very good at doing, it would allow Councillor Lee to establish contact and understanding (more than he may already have) with the downtown core and the issues of a downtown ward and a conservative would give the broader public the perception that this is a bi-partisan review, both culturally sensitive to the businesses but also respectful of the demands of the broader public for general cleanliness and a basic level of health standards.

As for CityTV, someone needs to tell Sue Scambati (I think that's who filed the report from Spadina yesterday) that the Spadina Subway runs up University south of Bloor, not under Spadina as she erroneously reported! While Subways can provide a breeding ground for rats, as reported by numerous residents in the neighbourhoods around Yonge Street, they are clearly not an issue in the case of Spadina. Unless there is a magic subway I've missed? Nothing like accuracy in reporting.