Gleaner

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NEWS: Parkettes win Urban Design Award (Fall 2023)

December 5th, 2023 · Comments Off on NEWS: Parkettes win Urban Design Award (Fall 2023)

Urban design firm DTAH and Bloor-Annex BIA lauded by city

Horn On The Cob playing for Wiener’s Home Hardware’s 100th Anniversary celebration in the Howland Ave. parkette.
NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS

By Megan Bocchinfuso


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Tags: Annex · News

NEWS: Carved pumpkins to enjoy an encore on Harbord Street (Fall 2023)

December 4th, 2023 · Comments Off on NEWS: Carved pumpkins to enjoy an encore on Harbord Street (Fall 2023)

Come celebrate the warmth of community 

Children seen here at last year’s display of creative carving. HAILEY ALEXANDER/GLEANER NEWS

By Brian Burchell

Harbord Village’s cherished pumpkin festival is back this year on Nov. 1. Dozens of pumpkins will light up the neighbourhood along Harbord Street from Spadina Avenue to Borden Street. 


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Tags: Annex · News

EDITORIAL: An insincere mea culpa (Fall 2023)

December 4th, 2023 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: An insincere mea culpa (Fall 2023)

When announcing his latest reversal of plans to develop parts of the Greenbelt, Premier Doug Ford said he was “very, very, sorry.” It’s not clear what exactly he is sorry for, or if he is indeed sorry at all. After months of ignoring his critics, including damning reports from the Auditor General and the Integrity Commission, Ford forced his flying monkey cabinet to line up behind him to try and rationalize his latest u-turn on the Greenbelt file.

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

NEWS: Pits Riot: A teaching moment (Summer 2023)

September 14th, 2023 · Comments Off on NEWS: Pits Riot: A teaching moment (Summer 2023)

A plaque in Christie Pits reminds passersby of a dark time in Toronto history worth remembering. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS

By Fox Oliver

A local theatre group is telling the story of the Christie Pits Riot, which involved 10,000 people, on the same soil where it happened.

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Tags: Annex · News

EDITORIAL: Ford exploits housing crisis (Summer 2023)

September 14th, 2023 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Ford exploits housing crisis (Summer 2023)

Ontario’s auditor general, Bonnie Lysyk, and now, protests across the province, have the Ford government playing their best defensive game. In a scathing investigative report released in August, Lysyk showed more of the same in terms of the Ford government’s approach to decision-making and democracy. For those of us who have been paying attention, none of it comes as a surprise, but we can only hope that this spells the end of a corrupt regime, and that these Greenbelt decisions won’t move forward.

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Tags: Annex · Editorial

ON THE COVER (May/June 2023)

August 8th, 2023 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER (May/June 2023)

Olivia Chow’s campaign office on Bloor St. stands closed as she prepares to move to city hall as mayor. Chow previously served the Annex area as city councillor for 13 years, and then 8 as a member of parliament. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS

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Tags: Annex · News · On the cover

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)

BIA selected by advocacy group for foundational work 

Brian Burchell received the Business Road Safety Champion award for his work advancing bike safety on a busy mainstreet along with the Bloor Annex BIA. NEILAND BRISSENDEN/BLOOR ANNEX BIA

By Fox Oliver

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Tags: Annex · News

EDITORIAL: Ford’s poor planning will hurt us all (May/June 2023)

August 8th, 2023 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Ford’s poor planning will hurt us all (May/June 2023)

Back in 1973, when Ontario Premier Doug Ford was just nine years old, Conservative Premier Bill Davis brought in the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act. This was the foundational legislation for what we now call the Greenbelt—2 million acres of farmland, forest, wetlands and watersheds in southern Ontario. Every premier since then, of every political stripe, has fought to protect that—until now. Premier Doug Ford is bent on tearing the area apart despite whatever promises he made in the last election, and that destruction is justified by a false premise.

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

EDITORIAL: Bleed it and then blame it for dying (April 2023)

August 8th, 2023 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Bleed it and then blame it for dying (April 2023)

Mayoral candidate Anna Bailao launched her campaign with a plan to move the Science Centre to Ontario Place and replace it with housing. Premier Doug Ford promptly seized the moment by saying this was his plan all along, for three years now!  This is hard to believe; it’s a scheme fraught with problems and a scheme that must absolutely be challenged.

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

CHATTER: Pink Day returns to University of Toronto Schools (Mar. 2023)

April 12th, 2023 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Pink Day returns to University of Toronto Schools (Mar. 2023)

University of Toronto Schools’ Day of Pink celebration seen here in 2018. Toronto Police sent their mounted unit to show their support. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS

On April 12, the University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is celebrating the International Day of Pink for the tenth year to stand up against bullying and support its 2SLGBTQ+ community. The Day of Pink will be celebrated with a block party and raffles for the community, in addition to assemblies led by UTS students.

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Tags: Annex · News

EDITORIAL: Ford’s budget is a fail (Mar. 2023)

April 12th, 2023 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Ford’s budget is a fail (Mar. 2023)

The province is enjoying a windfall from sales tax on the inflated prices of goods and services. Notwithstanding a legacy of debt, which provincial governments of all stripes have contributed to, this government here and now is swimming in cash. One might have expected a budget with more punch, a budget that makes a difference for the economy, the environment, or for the many Ontarians who are struggling right now—but no. We have a budget that is neither conservative nor progressive, and there appears to be no underlying vision whatsoever, beyond kicking the can down the road. 

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

ON THE COVER (Feb. 2023)

March 27th, 2023 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER (Feb. 2023)

Bloor Street United Church located at Bloor St. and Huron St. is being reduced to its
original architectural form to make way for luxury condominiums.
(BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS)

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Tags: Annex · News · On the cover

NEWS: 196 years of Black history in Toronto (Feb. 2023)

March 27th, 2023 · Comments Off on NEWS: 196 years of Black history in Toronto (Feb. 2023)

A church founded by former slaves who were rejected by “white” churches

By Hailey Alexander

Founded by former slaves First Baptist Church Toronto is now located at 101 Huron St. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS

First Baptist Church at 101 Huron St. was founded in 1826 by Elder Washington Christian and 12 other formerly enslaved people who escaped to Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. First Baptist Church is the oldest Black institution in Toronto.

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Tags: Annex · News