PICTURE COURTESY DTAH: Astra Burka, who organized the discussion on the future of College Street from Bathurst to Shaw streets, lauded the Bloor Annex BIA (whose chair publishes this newspaper) for its plan to transform “a series of left-over parcels of land into a sequence of vibrant, dynamic, public green spaces”.
By Annemarie Brissenden
A 25-storey, 334-unit apartment building is providing the model for a new mixed-student residence at the northwest corner of Spadina and Sussex avenues, but not in the way local residents’ associations would like.
Former Chief of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and community historian Carolyn King received Heritage Toronto’s Special Achievement Award in recognition of her decades-long efforts to preserve the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation’s community and to celebrate First Nation heritage at this year’s award ceremony, held in conjunction with the annual Kilbourn lecture on Oct. 17 at the Isabel Bader Theatre. The presentation capped off an evening that celebrated a host of local historians.
By Annemarie Brissenden
With both the federal and provincial governments making significant investments in public infrastructure, the Ministry of Education’s release of information detailing the maintenance backlog in Ontario raises a serious question: are we doing all that we can to maintain our buildings once they are built? The evidence suggests that we are not, and that our penchant for funding new infrastructure while ignoring our existing capital assets is ringing in a very high cost.
By Annemarie Brissenden
Applications to rezone an area at Spadina and Sussex avenues as well as 666 Spadina Ave. have been received by City Planning and are available online.
PHOTO BY BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS FILE PHOTO: City of Toronto senior planner Barry Brooks said that one aim of the Bloor Corridor/Annex Block Study is to “protect the significant view of the historical building (above) at 1 Spadina Cres. We are trying not to distract from the spire of that building.”
GRAPHIC COURTESY BEINENSTOCK NATURAL PLAYGROUNDS: Green highlights the Margaret Fairley Park revitalization as an example of how the approach to local greenspace has changed over the years. The fencing is being replaced, which will make the park bigger, and the splash pad will provide more opportunities for water play than the old wading pool.
By Annemarie Brissenden
It’s hard to feel sad when playing a ukulele.
“Everyone feels good when they play the music,” laughs Sarah Bradley, a branch head librarian with the Toronto Public Library (TPL). She and her colleagues have been running a ukulele program at the Lillian H. Smith branch at College Street and Spadina Avenue that is proving surprisingly popular.
Tags: Annex · Arts · General · Life
By Annemarie Brissenden
Ninety years after John Grierson — who would go on to become the first commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada — coined the term documentary, Toronto’s burgeoning narrative feature industry has secured a permanent home.
By Annemarie Brissenden
Local Catholic elementary school students will soon have a new school with a view.
By Annemarie Brissenden
If residents at the well-attended town hall on rail safety were looking for the federal government to commit to diverting railway tracks out of dense urban neighbourhoods, they came away disappointed.
PHOTO BY GEREMY BORDONARO: A Mona Lisa mural surveys the scene on Kensington Avenue. The market is undergoing a study to determine whether it should become a Heritage Conservation District.
By Geremy Bordonaro
Even in a city known for its distinctive neighbourhoods, it remains unique.