Gleaner

Serving Toronto's most liveable community with the Annex Gleaner

EDITORIAL: Thou shalt not park in a bike lane (Apr. 2025)

April 22nd, 2025 · No Comments

Is the death of a cyclist in Toronto enough to spur the city to take action to improve road safety? When it comes to the perennial problem of illegal parking in bike lanes, the answer, sadly, is “no.”

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Columns · Opinion

EDITORIAL: Bike lane facts Ford knew (Mar. 2025)

April 14th, 2025 · 1 Comment

An MTO briefing from August, 2024, states that there is a “risk of negative impacts on local businesses. Evidence shows that bike lanes have a positive impact on local businesses.”

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

NEWS: Curbside Cycle weathers assault on Bloor bike lanes (Jan. 2025)

February 12th, 2025 · Comments Off on NEWS: Curbside Cycle weathers assault on Bloor bike lanes (Jan. 2025)

In the heart of the Annex, at 412 Bloor St. W., near Brunswick Avenue, sits Curbside Cycle. Owner Aaron Enchin believes the removal of bike lanes could severely harm establishments like his, but his primary concern lies with cyclists, particularly newer riders, who may feel uncomfortable and unsafe without proper infrastructure.

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Tags: Annex · News

NEWS: Ford government is intent on removing bike lanes in Toronto (Dec. 2024)

December 16th, 2024 · Comments Off on NEWS: Ford government is intent on removing bike lanes in Toronto (Dec. 2024)

Bloor Street tops the list in the “Get You Home Faster Act” By Ammara Khan In a move to “combat congestion,” the Ford government has set out to reduce the number of bike lanes starting with the removal of lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue.  “We need to and will remove and […]

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Tags: Annex · News

LETTERS: An open letter to the Minister of Transportation (Dec. 2024)

December 16th, 2024 · Comments Off on LETTERS: An open letter to the Minister of Transportation (Dec. 2024)

My family [and I]  are longtime downtown residents and homeowners. We own a car and we also cycle daily to run errands, particularly on the Bloor shopping strip.  If you enact this bill we will simply stop shopping on the local Bloor strip. We will get in our car and drive somewhere else. So much […]

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Tags: Annex · Opinion

FORUM: Dangerous road safety bill is a distraction (Dec. 2024)

December 16th, 2024 · Comments Off on FORUM: Dangerous road safety bill is a distraction (Dec. 2024)

It’s as if being premier is too hard and he would rather be mayor of Toronto By Jessica Bell The Conservatives anti-bike bill went to committee in mid-November. It came into committee bad, and it went out worse. The Conservatives introduced an 11-page amendment that gives the government power to remove the entire Bloor, University, […]

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Tags: Annex · Columns · Opinion

ON THE COVER: Redo of intersection itself a hazard (Oct./Nov. 2024)

November 8th, 2024 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: Redo of intersection itself a hazard (Oct./Nov. 2024)

The City of Toronto is readjusting bike lanes and pedestrian crossings at the busy intersection of Bloor and St. George streets. The initial redesign which replicates a European style of lane safety caused as much of a problem as it had originally looked to solve for both cyclists and pedestrians.

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Tags: Annex · News · On the cover

EDITORIAL: Fact-checking Ford (Oct./Nov. 2024)

November 8th, 2024 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Fact-checking Ford (Oct./Nov. 2024)

How does Ford justify his intrusion into municipal governance and his attack on bike lanes? 

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (Oct./Nov. 2024)

November 8th, 2024 · Comments Off on LETTER TO THE EDITOR (Oct./Nov. 2024)

absolutely agree that the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in those situations must be paramount as they are the most vulnerable. However, in the same way that cyclists are at risk from aggressive motorists, pedestrians are at risk from aggressive cyclists.

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Tags: Annex · Letters · Opinion

FORUM: Bike lanes are a solution to congestion, not the cause (Oct./Nov. 2024)

November 8th, 2024 · Comments Off on FORUM: Bike lanes are a solution to congestion, not the cause (Oct./Nov. 2024)

Queen’s Park should be solving our biggest challenges, like climate change, homelessness, and fixing our public services, from health care to schools.

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Tags: General

ARTS: Wheeling Through Toronto book launch (June 2024)

July 19th, 2024 · Comments Off on ARTS: Wheeling Through Toronto book launch (June 2024)

The crowd of 155 people, composed mainly of those over 40, as well as many families, was a testament to the community Albert has created around biking, bike safety, community justice, and more. 

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Tags: General

NEWS: Annex honoured for pioneering Bloor bike lanes (May/June 2023)

August 8th, 2023 · Comments Off on NEWS: Annex honoured for pioneering Bloor bike lanes (May/June 2023)

On May 19, the Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition (TCBC) presented their Business Road Safety Champion Award to the Bloor-Annex Business Improvement Area (BIA) and to its general manager, Brian Burchell, for supporting pilot bike lanes and cycling advocacy.

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Tags: Annex · News