Toronto Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | Perkins&Will

I am not talking aesthetic. Christmas lights look amazing if done tastefully, but it should be paid for privately. Same with catholic schools. Christmas lights in trees on city streets are certainly impressive to look at, and if it going to be funded from city coffers, it would be nice to see them even the playing field for other cultures. Maybe they could fund some nice Hanukkah displays around Bathurst and Lawrence or Chinese new year decorations at Dundas and Spadina. We are a multicultural city and if we fund decorations for one religions holiday then we should fund them all or fund none of them. Anyways this isn't the thread for politics. I look forward to seeing that new stage finished in person.
 
someMidTowner said:
I am not talking aesthetic. Christmas lights look amazing if done tastefully, but it should be paid for privately. Same with catholic schools. Christmas lights in trees on city streets are certainly impressive to look at, and if it going to be funded from city coffers, it would be nice to see them even the playing field for other cultures. Maybe they could fund some nice Hanukkah displays around Bathurst and Lawrence or Chinese new year decorations at Dundas and Spadina. We are a multicultural city and if we fund decorations for one religions holiday then we should fund them all or fund none of them. Anyways this isn't the thread for politics. I look forward to seeing that new stage finished in person.
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I do see your point to a certain degree, and actually agree there should be no direct funding for the Catholic school system ... this won't amount to a huge amount of saving as many like to argue, rather the majority of Catholic schools would simply be converted to public schools, implying removing the religious element, which is minor at best.

Anyway, personally I do not associate lights with a particular religion ... not any more so then I associate the city spending money on plantings in parks or fountains ... or should all of this be private as well ?
 
As an atheist I find it exclusionary but tolerate it nonetheless. I wonder if tax dollars payed for that Christmas tree??? If so they should refund everyone that doesn't identify as a Christian.

So whaddya think? Am I nuts?
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I'm an atheist as well, but I love Xmas. Just like Halloween, you can enjoy the festivities without actually believing in any of the supernatural aspects of it.
 
someMidTowner said:
I am not talking aesthetic. Christmas lights look amazing if done tastefully, but it should be paid for privately.
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Christmas is only a religious holiday to religious people, for me its long been a cultural holiday and every bit as important to my family. Not one stitch of our holiday celebration is tied to God or Christianity. It's a time for family, friends, good food, gift giving, ice-skating, etc. The tree and lights? Yes we do that with gusto and there's nothing religious about that custom either. It's German in origin and PAGAN. It's bizarre how religious people claim it to be a religious custom when it's just not so.

There should be no such thing as a Catholic School Board because we claim to have separation of Church and State. Funding a Christmas tree at City Hall is different. A Christmas tree and lights isn't a religious custom and is celebrated by lots of atheists. Christmas is a cultural holiday for us just like Canada Day.
 
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isaidso said:
Christmas is only a religious holiday to religious people, for me its long been a cultural holiday and every bit as important to my family. Not one stitch of our holiday celebration is tied to God or Christianity. It's a time for family, friends, good food, gift giving, ice-skating, etc. The tree and lights? Yes we do that with gusto and there's nothing religious about that custom either. It's German in origin and PAGAN. It's bizarre how religious people claim it to be a religious custom when it's just not so. A Christmas tree and lights isn't a religious custom and is celebrated by lots of atheists. Christmas is a cultural holiday for us just like Canada Day.
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Just to add another perspective, my Muslim friends and I love Christmas. As kids we sang Christmas carols, put up lights, received gifts on Boxing Day (my parents figured "why not just wait for the sale?"), and we still do an annual secret santa (we sarcastically call it secret mullah) and have never considered it as a religious holiday. I have no problem with public funds being spent on Christmas decor because I think it's crossed that line and has now become an integral part of our *cultural* fabric. Interestingly, Christians similarly join in Ramadan/Eid celebrations in Islamic countries because it has also deviated into this consumerist phenomenon that taps into that sense of *occasion* that most of us don't mind giving in to. Until other religious holidays, including my own, get to that tipping point where everyone is already in on it, I don't think public funds are warranted and I think the argument completely bypasses concerns of religious equality.
 
rdaner said:
Photos taken 1 December 2012

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I wanted to add that I was really impressed with the lighting details in this project such as the light strip around the skating rink and around the Moore. As well I think that the stage will be a fantastic gathering place and add to the sense of place here. Finally, the restaurant and glass railings are coming next year; we still have a lot of work left to do but the central portion is looking more complete. BTW, does anyone else see the parking garage below as a potential space for something besides parking? Perhaps PATH shops or event space?
 
khristopher said:
They replaced some of the elevated walkway with glass? When did that happen? I think that's the first time that was posted here.
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No, that's the skate rental pavilion on the left. It connects to the walkways. They will be replacing the wall with glass on a portion of the south walkway facing into the square.
 
Nice pics! NPS is really shaping up. I was there briefly at the Argos Grey Cup event and really like the look of the stage. I'm a bit concerned that the Archer (Henry Moore) sculpture is so close to the stage (I hope people don't clamber on it during crowded events like New Year's Eve). The stage itself has a very simple and attractive design. Looking forward to seeing the skating rink with the new lighting (when I last saw it it looked like a mini football field--clever idea whoever thought that up).

Going back to the Christmas lighting comments, in some non-Christian countries like Japan, there are lavish Christmas lighting displays, particularly in and around department stores and large train stations. I think trees and holiday lighting have become 'secularized' and in some ways are just part of the whole marketing ploy to get people to shop. The Eaton Centre's tree this year is not event a green tree--it's an LED-lit tree-shaped thing. With the giant reindeer on display, even Santa's role is diminished. It's just fancy decorating now, and we can think of it more as a cultural festivity than anything tied to a particular religion.
 
I desperately hope those wire-mesh garbage bins, which already deface so many otherwise pleasant public spaces that are run by Toronto Parks, are only temporary.
 
allabootmatt said:
I desperately hope those wire-mesh garbage bins, which already deface so many otherwise pleasant public spaces that are run by Toronto Parks, are only temporary.
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Yes. Street furniture for the square will be all new. From benches to garbage bins to signage, everything will be replaced.
 
I like the stage as it is. It looks different, which is good. The glass just on the top looks good as it is, if it were to be everywhere such as the sides and bottom, that would just ruin the point of them showing the real work they put into it.
 
khristopher said:
They replaced some of the elevated walkway with glass? When did that happen? I think that's the first time that was posted here.
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Where do you see glass on the walkways Khristopher? I don't see it.
 
Isn't that the restroom/skating rental/snack bar pavilion?
 
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