The Annex Residents’ Association (ARA) presented Neil Jain with the Community Builder of the Year award during their meeting on April 25. “The award recognizes a good neighbour in the Annex community who has contributed in the areas of social justice, heritage, and environment,” according to the vice chair of the association, Albert Koehl. This […]

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Councillors should ask new questions By Albert Koehl Is City Hall’s preoccupation with facilitating the movement of cars now just a bad habit that can no longer be rationalized in light of actual travel modes by residents? According to the numbers, among other reasons: yes. [pullquote]Dominance of the car in public debates masks the diminishing role of the […]

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Peter Steen receives Community Builder Award By Ahmed-Zaki Hagar Development and politics were the main subjects at the Annex Residents’ Association (ARA) annual general meeting at a packed Friends’ House (60 Lowther Ave.) on April 26. Former Member of Provincial Parliament (Parkdale-High Park) Reverend Cheri DiNovo was this year’s keynote speaker. Known as the “queen […]

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Merchants need to look to themselves By Albert Koehl What if Bloor Street merchants — especially those who believe the bike lane is bad for business — could magically create a new supply of parking spots for their motoring customers? A recent report commissioned by the local BIAs (Bloor Annex and Koreatown) and the City […]

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Cycle Toronto has launched a new program aimed at boosting business on Bloor Street. Pick up a “Bike and Buy: Tour de Bloor Passport” from Cycle Toronto and have it stamped every time you eat or shop at one of 73 participating businesses between Avenue Road and Shaw Street. Passport-holders will be entered in a […]

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ARA holds annual general meeting By Geremy Bordonaro Development dominated the Annex Residents’ Association (ARA) annual general meeting on April 27. The area has seen an increase in developments over the last few years, most notably the Westbank Projects Corp.’s Mirvish Village development, and that coloured every topic of discussion, from bike lanes to community […]

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READ MORE: CHATTER: Ground-breaking bike lanes launch on Bloor Street (August 2016) NEWS: Bikes blessed for another season (June 2016) FOCUS: An early advocate for bike lanes (June 2016) NEWS: Bike lanes for Bloor Street (May 2016) The faster we lower speeds, the more lives we save (October 2015) Early brewer the basis for Bloor […]

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The arrival of cycling in Toronto By Joe Cressy For too long, discussions of bike lanes have been divisive in our city. They shouldn’t be. When we do it right, cycling infrastructure can be a win-win for everyone. After more than 40 years of discussion, debate, and community advocacy, an overwhelming majority of city councillors […]

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Plan to transform underutilized space [pullquote]“This is a major greening initiative for the neighbourhood”—Jonathan Da Silva, Bloor-Annex BIA[/pullquote] By Annemarie Brissenden Bloor Street West is about to get a whole lot greener, and it’s all thanks to the trees. Currently confined to box planters, Bloor Street’s trees are suffering. The concrete boxes — sometimes known […]

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By Lindsay Tsuji The Annex  Residents’ Association has made motions to call for more bike accessibility in the Annex, but some in the city’s transportation department say the plan is unrealistic. The bike policy put forth by the ARA calls for bike lanes on Bloor Street between Bathurst Street and Avenue Road, the construction of […]

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