Thank you for your thoughtful editorial in the July 2015 edition. I think you articulated very well the many reasons for replacing one lane of car traffic with bike lanes on Bloor Street.

You are right to note that if next summer’s pilot project is to succeed, it will be crucial that sufficient parking for cyclists be in place.  Read more

[Read more →]

The thought of bicycling down a highway is a frightening prospect. It is dangerous, and that is why it is prohibited. Bloor Street is technically a highway too, King’s Highway No. 5 to be exact, named in 1925 for King George V. Those high hydro poles whose lights appear only to serve to illuminate third floor apartments are a requirement for “highways” such as Bloor Street. The Bloor Annex BIA (whose chair publishes this newspaper) attached decorative lights to the poles to bring some brightness down to the street. Introducing bike lanes on Bloor Street would be another step to share this roadway more equitably and more safely with the automobile.  Read more

[Read more →]

Westbank Corp. has submitted its building application to the City of Toronto for the redevelopment of the Honest Ed’s site and the adjoining Mirvish Village. The store has been saying a long goodbye for some time now but it’s finally slated for closure Dec. 31, 2016. Though the building application is in, it is far from complete. It’s a complex site given the elaborate plans the Vancouver-based developer Westbank has very publicly mused about. Still Westbank is anxious to move forward before the mood of enthusiasm for the project wanes.  Read more

[Read more →]

Avoiding the consumer trap that awaits new parents  Read more

[Read more →]

The City of Toronto’s Official Plan, enacted as of June 2006, is an all-encompassing document providing a roadmap for how, where, and when the city should develop. Its sections set out heritage policies, identify areas best suited for intensification, define the unique characteristics of individual neighbourhoods, and limit height and density where necessary. In short, the Official Plan highlights the type of neighbourhoods we want to create, and guides us away from the ones we want to avoid.  Read more

[Read more →]

The recent unveiling of plans to redevelop the Honest Ed’s site and adjoining Mirvish Village left a largely local audience in awe. At the opening curtain on the proposed plan, yet to be submitted to the City for approval, Westbank Corp. of Vancouver displayed an innovative plan of multiple residential towers, “small-grain” retail, open public space, preserved architecture (Mirvish Village), and a street (Markham Street) dedicated to pedestrians. They did almost exactly what they said they would do—they listened.  Read more

[Read more →]

By Albert Koehl

I’m always happy when someone angrily yells at me when I advocate for cycling improvements in Toronto. I used to have a flag on my bike calling for ‘Bike Lanes on Bloor’ – until someone tore it off. This too made me happy. What I hate most is being ignored.  Read more

[Read more →]

By Hamish Wilson

There was good news for cyclists at a recent public meeting initiated by the Annex Residents Association: many of the needed pieces for re-doing Bloor Street in the Annex for bike safety are finally coming together.  Read more

[Read more →]

By Rosario Marchese, Member of Provincial Parliament for Trinity-Spadina

Part of my job as a Member of Provincial Parliament involves participating on the committees that evaluate the effectiveness of existing laws. Earlier this year, my colleagues and I held committee hearings on the Aggregate Resources Act, the legislation that governs the operation of pits and quarries in Ontario.  Read more

[Read more →]

This budget is not good for Canadians, nor is it good fiscal policy.

By Olivia Chow, Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina  Read more

[Read more →]

Our cartoonist takes a look at the development issues around the University of Toronto.

[Read more →]

By Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina)

Not convinced?  Then check out what’s happening in every corner of the continent. Google “No Casino” and see what comes up. Whether it’s Vancouver or Miami, Manhattan, Gettysburg or Pawtucket, city after city, town after town, everyone seems to be fighting a casino proposal.  Read more

[Read more →]

Brett Lamb chimes in on the issue of casinos…

Brett Lamb/Gleaner News

[Read more →]