TORONTO —
As the economic impact of COVID-19 leaves more empty storefronts and public spaces in some communities, one researcher says that could drive people away for good.
So he suggests cities repurpose abandoned buildings as community centres and set up more temporary markets and pop-up stores, among other measures.
“Pretty much every main street or shopping district has seen better days,” Jim Morrow, author of “A Field Guide for Activating Space,” told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday.
The blight of shuttered businesses can lead people to avoid entire areas, said Morrow, an environmental sociologist with the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the University of Alberta.
“Not very many people want to live where other people don’t have a pride of place,” he said.
Although COVID-19 restrictions are some of the biggest contributors to the more recent storefront closures, he also pointed out that other factors were driving the trend well before COVID-19. These include more big box stores popping up and the rise of online shopping pushing some companies to pivot away from brick-and-mortar stores.
But Canada has a lot of positive examples to turn to, said Morrow, who’s looked at successful examples of space reactivation in other countries such as Germany, Belgium, Cuba, South Africa, Ecuador, Denmark, China and the U.S.
He suggested cities and towns set up more pop-ups shops, temporary stalls or markets in empty buildings or areas with empty storefronts.
Morrow also said more foot traffic could be shored up if entire streets are closed off for al-fresco dining.
Other historical examples include how, in the 1980s, abandoned steel mills in Sheffield, England were transformed into concert venues.
In the 2010s, an abandoned factory in Brussels, Belgium was transformed into a multi-use building housing theatre classes, artist spaces, and even a workshop for steelwork. Empty lots in Canada could be turned into urban farms and gardens, like cities in Cuba did in the 1990s, he said.
Morrow also pointed out that in some cities, community centres have been set up In abandoned department stores or malls. And in places close to Edmonton, where Morrow lives, a defunct gas station was even transformed into a pop-up dog park.
Although he suggests municipalities and cities should be offering more economic incentives to businesses and developers to transform empty lots, he notes that many already do, and it unfortunately hasn’t greatly turned around the trend of empty storefronts
Morrow’s most costly and time-consuming suggestion was having cities undergo a total rebuild of certain neighbourhoods. He said in cities such as Paris, city planners are using the pandemic to rejig streets and alleyways long-term, so residents can access more of what they need within a 15-minute walk or trip on public transit.
PEOPLE LOSE SENSE OF COMMUNITY: MORROW
He said when economic infrastructure collapses, it can be followed by people losing public spaces to connect and find something in common.
Morrow also said that the longer a storefront sits empty, the harder it is to turn around. So city planners and community advocates need to act fast.
“It’s like a house or an apartment, where things that should’ve been fixed yesterday compound and get more expensive [to fix].”
“People lose hope and feel left behind,” Morrow said, suggesting this could also be playing a role in the higher rates of loneliness seen among Canadians during the pandemic.
“If this trend of loneliness continues, we really risk a disfigured society.”
MONTREAL – One expert says entry-level pay under the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement.
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five.
The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision entirely.
But according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press, the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says as many as 2,000 of Air Canada’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge.
After the airline averted a strike this week, Gradek says the failure to ditch the pay grade restrictions could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
ROME (AP) — Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at its home World Cup in 1990, has died. He was 59.
Schillaci had been hospitalized in Palermo following treatment for colon cancer.
The Palermo Civico hospital said in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago.
Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup. He came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria, scored in a 1-0 victory, and went on to earn the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci also won the Golden Ball award at the 1990 World Cup as the tournament’s top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.
Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.
“You made an entire nation dream during the Magical Nights of Italia ’90,” Inter said on its social media channels.
West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final, while Italy beat England for third place with a winning penalty kick from Schillaci.
Roberto Baggio, who scored Italy’s opening goal in the third-place match, wrote on Instagram, “Ciao my dear friend.”
Having been born and raised in Palermo, the Palermo soccer team announced that it would hold a public viewing of Schillaci at its Renzo Barbera stadium ahead of the funeral, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.
After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has denied any sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
