2009 June 25. Some nice garbage lying in on Queen Street near MOCCA.

In recent years i've become more and more disgusted by the ugliness of the city of Toronto. I don't mean the architecture or landscapes, i mean the general attitude and lack of pride and caring. Toronto has a reputation for being a clean city, but it's a lot dirtier than it used to be (and dirtier than New York is, or at least the Midtown area i was in) . For every street beautification project, there's some other arm of the city cutting up the streets and sidewalks, or covering them in pavement. Urban trees and planters are neglected or cut away. Overall, it just looks like the City just doesn't care. When New York began cleaning up the garbage and graffiti off their subways, they found it made a huge difference in how people behaved - when a place looks like a dump, people treat it that way.

2009 June 27. One of those multi-newspaper boxes, at Bay & Bloor, looking pretty awful. Not only are most of the boxes messy inside, but posterers have made a mess of the windows, and taggers have hit the top. Plus, it's a virtual wall on the street. I have an idea - just get rid of them - if you want a newspaper, go to a store. In fact, there's an Indigo right behind me.

2009 June 27. Still at Bay & Bloor. Toronto loves to do this - carve up the sidewalks, whether concrete or stones, and fill it with pavement.

2009 June 29. A man lying down and begging at Bay & Bloor.

When i was at the University of Toronto in the 1980s, i never saw anyone lying in the streets, and while there were people begging for change, there are a lot more people begging now than there used to be. I never saw anyone lying in the streets, and hardly any begging in New York. Personally, i don't think it should be allowed. It's not for lack of sympathy - if people genuinely need help, they should get. Toronto (and other cities) needs a lot more low income housing. A large proportion of street people are said to have mental problems, in which case, they should get the care they need. By allowing people to live in the street, we say it's okay for them to live like that, we become enablers, rather than fixing the problem.

2009 July 9. Bloor Street near St George. Why must EVERYTHING be turned into ad space?Imagine living in a building which is turned into an ad for miracle whip? That's right outside some people's windows, let alone polluting the view from the street.

2009 July 9. Avenue Road & Bloor. Nice job.

2009 July 9. It's bad enough have taggers scrawling all over the city, but utility workers do it too.

2009 July 9.

2009 July 9. Even streetcars are polluted by advertising.

2009 August 29. I was driving from a hotel (wedding the night before) to Fanexpo downtown, and saw this man sleeping in the street (Adelaide i think).

2009 August 29. And this man sleeping in a transit shelter.

2009 August 29. No idea what was coming out - hopefully just steam. But thye noise was unbelievably deafening.

2009 August 29. Not sure what the wood cover is for, but it doesn't even fit.

2009 August 29. This used to be a tree on University. Aside from ugly, it's kind of dangerous.

2009 August 29. This was a light post - like the ones further up the street. Why it was removed, i don't know. You'd thibk it would either be replaced, or the steel rods removed, and stones put in place.

2009 September 5. Another beautifully kept tree.

2009 September 6. In town, after visiting the CNE. Queen & Peter. I'm all for urban life, but posterers really make a lot of things look filthy. Can't you leave the mail box alone?

2009 September 6. Not only is this garbage receptacle filthy, it's also been postered and stickered.

2009 September 6. A different kind of garbage bin, looking flithy, and covered by taggers.

2009 September 6. Richmond & Peter. Some more sidewalk paving.

2009 September 6. This transit shelter, at Bay & Queen (between new and old City Hall), was turned into an ad for a movie, but i'm not sure how effective it is with someone sleeping in front of it. I caught this shot while driving by.

2009 September 6. And a moment later, someone else was sleeping in front of The Bay, across from the Eaton Centre.

2009 September 6. This is in Kew Gardens, in the Beaches. Who knows what vehicles have chewed up the lawn and put deep grooves into the ground.

2009 September 6. Been a while since i was down at Kew Beach. A portion of the beach has been fenced off, turned into mainly brush, with these ugly signs and garbage bins. Why?

2009 September 6. Oh. Nice.

2009 September 12. In town for the Film Festival. I'm all for graffiti art, like on the right, but i despise tagging. How to make a garbage bin look uglier?

2009 September 12.

2009 September 12. When they're not hacking their street trees to stubs, they're letting weeds overtake them - it's even spilling onto the street.

2009 September 12. Queen & John.

2009 September 12. Another beautifully kept tree.

2009 September 12. Another messed up mail box. Nice job on the curb, and more crappy pavement behind.

2009 September 12.

2009 September 12. Queen & Spadina. Aside from the utility poles, newspaper boxes and giant garbage bin, what's the pylon doing there?

2009 September 12. A door on Queen east of Spadina.

2009 September 12.

2009 September 12.

2009 September 12. A parking meter.

2009 September 12.

2009 September 12. Nice.

2009 September 12.

2009 September 12. A random newspaper box.

2009 September 12. I don't even know what that thing is. It looks like it might've been a planter, but not a very attractive one. Aside from the hacked up pavement behind it, there are random stretches of brick edging.

2009 September 12. Cumberland Ave. Seriously, the City just loves to patch up areas with pavement.

2009 September 12.

2009 September 13. The west side of Yonge Street, along the Eaton Centre. A few years ago they renovated this area, but someone has since come along, sliced a path all the way along Yonge beside the Eaton Centre between Queen & Dundas.

2009 September 18. Queen just west of University.

2009 September 18. Yonge just north of Queen.

2009 September 19. Yonge at Carlton.

2009 September 19. Yonge near Dundonald.

2010 April 3. Between the cinema and World's Biggest Bookstore. Ugh, Toronto used to be so clean.

2010 April 3. In front of World's Biggest Bookstore.