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Heritage doesn’t separate the heap

The circa-1850s St. Lawrence Hall has played host to many poignant moments in our city’s history. Monday night’s mayoral debate hosted by Heritage Toronto and the Toronto Historical Association was not one of them.

The candle-like lights from the chandelier in the Great Hall flickered casting a dim glow over the standing room-only proceedings. It’s here, where the anti-slavery movement in Canada was born, where the first large public meetings pushing for an end to slavery and setting Canada as a haven for slaves fleeing the U.S. were held.

It was not hard to imagine the ghosts of George Brown and great American emancipators like Frederick Douglass, both of whom spoke here, floating in the arches rising high above.

What better place for a debate on our cities history, more specifically, the preservation of our city’s history, be it cultural, natural or its built form?

Only there was little in the way of truly inspirational oratory from the five running for mayor. Where have we heard that before? Fringe throw-in Rocco Achampong managed the odd flourish, but what the fuck he was actually doing at the table, we are in the stretch run after all, remains a mystery.

Well, at least it seems he took the time, unlike some of the others candidates, to read the plaque inside the main doors memorializing the Hall’s place in truly momentous occasions in our city’s history.

No doubt there were a few zingers and the presumed frontrunner Rob Ford (at least in recent online polling) provided a few laughs, history and built form not exactly being his forte.

At one point managing the seemingly impossible, weaving his anti-immigrant spiel in answer to a question on what the candidates would do to preserving heritage buildings. The guy’s unbelievable.

But with the unofficial start of this marathon race looming, that would be Labour Day for those of you who polls say haven’t been paying attention, same old same old was the order of the evening mostly. And there are 50 more debates planned between now and decision day October 25. How will we survive?

Certainly Sarah Thomson seemed to be showing a little fatigue, having to ask moderator Paul Bedford on at least two occasions to repeat the question. Could the end be near?

Her unlikely candidacy, buoyed so far by some influential Tory help and the fact she’s the only woman in the race, may finally be coming apart at the seams.

Her answers to questions fell flat, which is somewhat odd considering her self-professed love of architecture (her grandfather was an architect), and the fact she was the only candidate (up until last night) to outline a plan to save heritage buildings.

Joe Pantalone showed more fire than usual. But these are friendly confines for the deputy mayor whose track record on heritage issues is second to none. Only his efforts to bring the Direct Energy Centre to the CNE Grounds should hardly rate as mention number one in the flyer handed out at the door outlining Pants’ list of heritage achievements.

George Smitherman rose to the occasion, but this is home turf after all, part of an area he’s represented as MPP for near a decade. He took a swipe at other candidates’ heritage credentials, suggesting he’s the real deal (see efforts to preserve homes in Cabbagetown) while others merely “boned up” for the meeting.

But where was Smitherman when Walnut Hall, the Georgian rowhouses on Shuter right in his ward, were allowed to fall into disrepair and had to be leveled after a section collapsed? Or for that matter, when One Gould toppled a few months ago, seemingly another victim of owner neglect?

Smitherman’s answer to heritage preservation: it’s up to community mobilization.

Rocco Rossi, meanwhile, did what he could to sharpen his outsider message. The additions of Bernie Morton and Warren Kinsella to his campaign seems to have lit a small fire under Rossi, and as usual, he came prepared with a few stats and a packaged retort for media consumption. The new tack: to put his big biz credentials front and centre.

But with Ford sucking the air out of the right, Rossi’s going to need more than that Princeton-educated comportment to make a dent in the psyche of the electorate.

Eight months in and we’re still waiting for Rossi to break out in a big way, a little like the 2010 version of the race for mayor.

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