JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

So here we are, just a little over a month before Rob Ford officially assumes the duties of Mayor of Toronto. Based on the numbers from Monday night, there were slightly more people walking around Tuesday with long faces (or nursing hangovers) than those giddy at the prospect of derailing the gravy train (and nursing hangovers). The results capped a campaign where anger reigned supreme and both candidates and voters did their best to imitate the Incredible Hulk. *** I admit it. I drew a line to connect the two stumps of arrow next to Joe Pantalone's name. Not my ideal candidate, but as the sort-of-stand-in for the outgoing administration, I could live with myself if I voted for him. Neither Ford nor George Smitherman were enticing prospects. The only thing I discerned all along from the former provincial cabinet minister's campaign was that he was running for mayor just to become mayor. Give Ford credit: his policies were unpalatable, but there was no question about wh...

The last Sunday of summer. Sunny skies, comfortable temperatures. Good conditions to spend an afternoon reaquainting myself with certain parts of downtown. I went on an amended version of the old "Sunday constitutional" route I used to walk most Sundays—instead of starting at Osgoode station and succumbing to the lure of a cheap Indian buffet, I took the Spadina car down to the top of Kensington Market. From there, it was a meandering trek down to Queen West, followed by a (brief) stop amid the crowd at the art show in Trinity-Bellwoods (the tight cluster of those browsing proved claustrophobic). From there, I strolled up Montrose to College, passing neighbours shooting the breeze on their porches and men pruning front yard foliage for elderly residents. And then there was a sight that provides a good opportunity to haul out a well-worn logo used on this website... Election signs will soon become chic decor items in apartment windows and on city lawns. The odd poster ...

While driving back to the Centre of the Universe (TM) on Labour Day, I came across the first candidate sign not sitting in close proximity to a campaign office or left over from someone too lazy to remove one from their window from the last election. This candidate also appeared to be the only one I saw on my drive to have jumped the writ gun, with several signs sitting by the roadside around St. Thomas. Going by this sign, it appears John Tory will emphasize his name over the party brand. We saw how well that worked for Paul Martin in the last federal campaign, though his signs missed the crucial "Your ______ Candidate" portion. The toxic stench of Mike Harris lingers over the PCs, which may explain why the early Tory radio ads skip over his party affiliation (680 News loves playing them). Design wise, I like the white bars setting off the leader name and the party website. I suspect I would extend the bottom white bar to the edge of the sign to balance the top bar,...

The official start to the Ontario election campaign is September 10th, but we are effectively in the heat of battle now. Party platforms are creeping into media outlets, campaign offices have secured real estate and nasty commercials have started. For politcal junkies, September is going to be a fantastic month. The Warehouse isn't one to be left out in the cold, so the WEC desk is back in business. From now until voting day, expect occasional entries on odd sights during the campaign, sign aesthetics and whatever else tickles our funnybone or makes us want to lob pies at the party leaders. *** In the Warehouse's home riding, incumbent Michael Bryant has been in reelection mode for awhile. Several weeks ago, Bryant campaign workers staffed a booth outside Davisville subway station, offering up sweaty commuters a cool drink. Along with other regional Liberal MPPs, Bryant ads have popped up in bus shelters that aren't explicitly election posters, but pretty much are....

Random notes from The Political Party Monday night... * Arrived around 7:45 and the place was already packed...though I managed to snag a parking space directly across the street. The joys of running late. * I've been to Revival twice before and couldn't believe how different the space looked with full lighting. Surprisingly bright. * To indicate that time was up when answering a question, the TTC chimes were used. Some confuson was caused when a bicycle The only real abuse of this came during Jane Pitfield's last question, when she rambled on about crime in the city (summed up as people don't feel safe in the city because "crime is unpredictable"). * It was quickly clear that the house was pro-David Miller. It felt as if there were a few strategically-placed designated clappers for Pitfield, especially one near the front of the room, who at times literally was the only person clapping. Miller seemed more relaxed than his challenger, in dress, tone...

...or, how to exploit the symbolic power of your name for fun and political profit. There is no shortage of candidates taking advantage of this playbook during the current campaign. Two candidates ringing their Bells - the top's from Leamington, bottom Guelph. The latter is, depending on your view of sign clusters, in full bloom or needs serious weeding. Note avoidance of phrases like "ringing in change" or "time for a change". From the Maitland area in Eastern Ontario, a candidate capitalizing on the avian aspect of their name. There are variants to this playbook: Variant #1: Utilizing the punny potential of your name. However, if the candidate's name was November, using a similar line could cause heads to scratch more than usual. Variant #2: playing on the name of your ward, as is the case with this sign from Guelph. This sign takes the tasteful approach, with a silhouette of the namesake saint and a small pair of shamrocks. Imagine...

Toronto was one of the last municipalities to allow candidates to erect signs this year, which was very noticeable if you drove out of the town. Signs in the rest of the province were in full bloom by the time the first signs appeared in Toronto last week. As I have driven around most of Southern Ontario over the past month, I've had my camera handy to capture any signs that deviate even slightly from the usual "Vote John Doe" or "Re-elect Jane Doe". You can find the growing set of pictures over on Flickr . Today's samples come from my old stomping grounds, the deep southwest. From Kingsville, one wonders how many American Pie-based jokes this candidate is on the receiving end of. It's human nature to make fun of a candidate based solely on their name. This comes from the "70s Real Estate Sign" playbook. It screams small-town realty firm: the logo, the placement of text, the cut-out picture, the colour scheme. Discovered while driv...

And so it ends...for a few months. The WEC staff has already collected $287 for the office "predict-the-date-the-Harper-government-falls" pool. Humble readers, you are encouraged to submit your best guess. So long PM PM. Hello Smirky Stephen. The number of gloomy faces we passed this morning was staggering, especially from a city where all seats went Liberal (the pollsters didn't see 20 coming back) or NDP (3). Others felt mild relief that the Tory landslide predicted a week ago didn't happen. It's not reassuring to see stalwarts of the Harris era in Ontario like Tony Clement (who won by only 21 votes - we're waiting for the recount) and Jim Flaherty back in government. Fingers crossed that history fails to repeat itself, or, as many commentators predict, the Tories' position is precarious enough for the other parties to hold them in check. Otherwise, pump up your stock portfolio with distillers, as the country may need several rounds of stiff drin...

Signs, fishwrap - plenty to cover as the campaign enters its final hours. Newsstand Watch A.S. Pryncesse looks at what the papers say... Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Electoral Deathwatch 2006! As election day draws nearer and it becomes progressively clearer that a change of government is in the offing, the national papers have begun circling like buzzards around the most likely political victims. The bodies of Belinda Stronach and Scott Brison appear to be ripest for pecking. On Wednesday, The Globe fronted with a picture of each, both looking vaguely troubled, and followed with articles that are quietly confident each will eke a victory. The Star , reporting on a meeting between La Belinda and La Buzz, was well-hidden, but no less hopeful. Don Martin, in his Wednesday column for the Post , counted both Stronach and Brison among the "Hopeful Dead", the group of wealthy Liberal ministers (including Jean Lapierre, Ken Dryden, David Emmerson, John McCallum and...

Less than a week to go... Most Obscure Political Party Award Official campaign vehicle found this weekend in Kensington Market. Unverified rumour as to whether their campaign song is a reinterpretation of the Ramones' The KKK Took My Baby Away . Celebrity Endorsement of the Week When a race is as tight as the fight between Olivia Chow (NDP) and Tony Ianno (Liberal) in Trinity-Spadina, any endorsement will do, as in this sign found on Dundas across the street from the construction site formerly known as the Art Gallery of Ontario. Newsstand Watch A.S. Pryncesse looks at what the papers say... I think the Globe has developed a split personality… Just when I thought I had pigeonholed the paper as having jumped on the Smug Stephen bandwagon, it decided last Friday to front a large picture of Smug Stephen beside Ricky from Trailer Park Boys , along with the question ‘Evolved?’ While comparing Smuggy to white trash isn’t exactly a subtle approach to reporting, it’s ...

One of our intrepid WEC field reporters had a stunning expose to shock voters to the core, ready to go for this episode...until his laptop got in the path of a Stephen Harper snowball. Newsstand Watch A.S. Pryncesse returns with another look at what the papers say... The Globe and Mail is closing in on its prey... A lot can change in a week. If the polling numbers are to be believed, and this humble writer remains ever skeptical, the Conservatives are 8-10 points ahead of the Liberals and Smug Stephen will soon become Prime Minister. Not wanting to pick a loser, the Globe has apparently abandoned its role as Liberal apologist and begun to print more overtly critical articles about the Liberal party, while correspondingly writing more complimentary articles about the Conservatives. Things began quietly early in the week; their report on the English debate was actually quite balanced, highlighting some of the best quotes from every party leader (meanwhile, the National Pos...

A week-and-a-half to go in the campaign and the pot is boiling over. Most polls show the current media-darling Conservatives in the lead, as Liberal bungling increases - now it's a furor over a pulled ad. The NDP is sticking to its guns, but will that be enough to prevent nervous voters starting to hear the "M" word (as oppposed to the "m" word) used next to the phrase "Conservative government" from fleeing, as happened last election. How well did the debates go? Everyone thinks English moderator Steve Paikin was the winner! The WEC control room waited for Paul Martin to set himself aloft or flail a limb off. Stephen Harper resembled the stereotypical used car salesman, with the smirk that wouldn't fade. Jack Layton looked older than we remembered (though still spritely compared to the rapidly-aging Martin), clearly outlining party platforms, though he occasionally veered off-topic to stay on message. Gilles Duceppe was, well, Gilles Duceppe....

Kick out the jams, brother and sister politicians! Holidays are over, let the mud fly! Watch the campaign kick into gear and the shit hit the fan. One wonders if Jean Chretien is smiling these days, given the even-growing number of snafus and pieces of dirty laundry emerging from the Liberal campaign. Beer and popcorn. Questions about the timing of income trust policy. A blog that compared Oliva Chow to a similarly-named dog. A Toronto MP who appears to be in financial thrall to the poobahs in the recording industry. A flat tire for the PM during a wagon ride in Regina. Standing in the opinion polls going down. Did the little guy from Shawinigan laid a hex on his ambitious successor? Are we seeing the Peter Principle play itself out? Did somebody hire some long unemployed staffers from Kim Campbell's '93 campaign? Or, after 12 years at the helm, is the natural governing party pooped out? What to watch: as Conservative numbers rise (as we are led to believe, but really, ...

Christmas, Christmas time is here, time for toys and time to jeer... But seriously, we've reached the holiday lull. Not much news, as everyone gears up for the January dash. Yer humble newsdesk editor admits to having barely touched a paper the past few days. Call this episode the equivalent of TV talking heads nattering about nothing. Humble readers can discuss the merits of whether Jack Layton will shave his 'stache for charity. Meanwhile, there are areas where parties are attempting to monopolize public corners with their signs. Case in point: drive into Guelph, Ontario along any of the main roads leading into the city and you will face an onslaught of Christian Heritage Party signs. The CHP had the only visible sign on the grounds of the University of Guelph, unless the NE corner of Stone and Gordon is considered city property. One imagines how well this will go down with students on campus (except maybe the Campus Crusade for Christ). Surfing The Seas of Small Pa...

Christmas shoppers scurry as the week-before-Christmas blitz begins. Ontario is digging itself out from a blizzard. Workers rush to finish projects before taking a rest for the holidays. Oh yeah, there's an election going on. Little evidence so far in the Warehouse's neighbourhood. Signs are few, flyers and candidate telemarketing fewer. The imcumbent is recycling signs from the last campaign. It's best if all parties make their gaffes now, while most of the country carries on with more pressing issues, like that Xbox 360 for Billy or how not to avoid playing the fool at the office party. Question: in light of Liberal communications director Scott Reid's loose lips earlier this week, how many viewers of tonight's debate will fortify themselves with beer and popcorn? While on the subject of beer and politics, check out Rick Mercer's petition . You may also want to throw back a shot of any spirit whenever Paul Martin says "let me be perfectly clea...

The Warehouse election desk is officially open. Over the next few weeks, our distinguished correspondents will provide their own spin on the current campaign. Local fights, historical perspectives, commentary, criticism and advice...we don't claim to be fair and balanced, we just claim. This week: lots of links and the start of our time-warped coverage. The four men who will fight with Angelina, J. Lo and Jennifer for space on the front of your morning read: Paul Martin (Liberal), Stephen Harper (Conservative), Jack Layton (NDP) and Gilles Duceppe (BQ). Get To Know Your Parties Elections Canada has links to the 12 registered parties for the January showdown...but we're going to save you a few clicks by providing them below. Bloc Quebecois Canadian Action Party Christian Heritage Party Communist Party Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party Libertarian Party Marijuana Party Marxist-Leninist Party New Democratic Party Progressive Canadian Party El...