The site of the former Just Desserts restaurant is slated to be the new home of Designers Walk Building, a 22-storey “vertical forest” with trees on every terrace. The condo tower by Cityzen and Greybrook Realty Partners will be the first of its kind in Toronto. COURTESY CITYZEN AND GREYBROOK REALTY PARTNERS
March 14th, 2022 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Groundbreaking at Sussex (Winter 2022)
The University of Toronto officially broke ground at the site of a yet-to-be-named 23-storey student residence at Spadina and Sussex. Concessions to city planning and the HVRA allowed the development to proceed: preserving the heritage building at 698 Spadina, and creating the new Robert Street Park. U of T is pleased to be able to offer 509 additional future students the experience of on-campus living, which has been shown to improve their academic performance and mental health. The residence will use an innovative geoexchange system for heating, cooling and hot water, dramatically reducing emissions. (From left), Scott Mabury (VP, Operations), Mitchell Cohen (President & CEO, The Daniels Corporation), Meric Gertler (President, U of T), Brian Lawson (Chair of the Governing Council, U of T), Rose Patten (Chancellor, U of T), and Vishar Yaghoubian (Student Governor, Governing Council). NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
February 4th, 2022 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER (Jan. 2022)
A four-alarm fire at 828 Shaw St. on January 15 displaced all 11 occupants. Four were sent to hospital, one in life threatening condition. The building is owned by Rakesh Gupta of Gupta Realty, who has been charged 12 times since 2018 for not completing city-issued work orders at the site in a timely fashion. ARLYN MCADOREY/GLEANER NEWSNeighbours have rallied to raise $28,000 from a GoFundMe campaign to support the former tenants of 828 Shaw St. The building was already being investigated following a smaller fire January 5, and had been the source of 53 registered complaints between 2018-22, according to a CBC report. NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
February 4th, 2022 · Comments Off on NEWS: Honouring the past in future planning (Jan. 2022)
Declaring the Annex a heritage district vetted by community
An HCD would apply a broad definition of heritage that could include any building that contributes to the neighbourhood’s character, such as the mid-century modern apartments on St. George Street. NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
February 4th, 2022 · Comments Off on NEWS: They come for the grub but leave with much more (Jan. 2022)
The Avenue Foodbank strives to put itself out of business
Bob Mandel (left) and Elliot Shulman helped keep 13,465 people fed in 2021. It was the Avenue food bank’s busiest year yet. NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
February 4th, 2022 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Treasuring the Gleaner at the Palmerston Library (Jan. 2022)
BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
Anyone interested in an in-depth history of the Annex will find a rich source in 24 bound volumes of the Annex Gleaner available at the Palmerston Library. The series, beginning with the very first issue from May 1995, is available for reference just behind the front desk in the “local history” section, which is one of thirty such sections at libraries across the city. Read more
February 4th, 2022 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Business owner/former Tibetan refugee helps new refugees (Jan. 2022)
From left: Phurbu’s daughter Tsering Dolkar, Phurbu Tsering, and Alana Meier. NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
Phurbu Tsering donated $2,000 worth of hats, mittens and shawls to the Christie Refugee Welcome Centre (CRWC), at 43 Christie St. on December 9th. The owner of Tibetan Paper and Handicraft at 609B Bloor St. W. did so just in time for winter, International Human Rights Day, and the 32nd anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s receiving the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec 10, 1989. Read more
December 17th, 2021 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Tango mesmerizes crowd (Dec. 2021)
Solidaridad Strings performed their first live concert to a sold-out audience on Nov. 14. From left: Aparna Halpé and Suhashini Arulanandam (violin), Esme Allen-Creighton (viola), Valeria Matzner (vocals), Adriana Arcilla Tascón (viola), Heyni Solera (bandoneon), Sybil Shanahan (cello), Shannon Wojewoda (double bass). COURTESY MICHAEL WOJEWODA
The string ensemble of Orquesta Solidaridad Tango, a new all-women tango orchestra, performed their first live concert to a sold-out audience at 918 Bathurst on November 14th. The physically-distanced crowd gave the musicians two standing ovations after enjoying an evening of contemporary and classic tango music. It is a style infused with longing and mystery. Read more
December 17th, 2021 · Comments Off on LIFE: Honouring son in area parks (Dec. 2021)
Suicide seen as collateral damage during COVID-19
Christine Andreopoulos plays chess at the table she donated to Jean Sibelius Square in honour of her son, Kye Andreopoulos, “a loving and faithful son and friend.” Kye took his own life, age 28, due to failures in our under-resourced mental health system, stretched to the breaking point by the pandemic, she said. “That psychiatrists couldn’t see their patients in-person. To me, that was the wrong part.”
NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
November 11th, 2021 · Comments Off on NEWS: Freeland wins despite lower turnout (Fall 2021)
Order of results in Uni-Rosedale largely unchanged this round
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was re-elected for the third time in University-Rosedale on September 21. Her message that the Liberals could be relied upon to finish the fight against the pandemic and bring in $10-a-day child care earned her 47.5 per cent of votes in the riding, despite fewer polls and lowered voter turnout. COURTESY CHRYSTIA FREELAND
September 8th, 2021 · Comments Off on CHATTER: India-sourced, Annex-available rugs (Aug. 2021)
Rose Garden and Rain patterned rugs by Annex-based Mark Krebs get hand washed in Mirzapur, India. Designer Davin Cowper works with about 40 people in the state of Uttar Pradesh for each production run of his all-natural, handmade rugs. COURTESY MARK KREBS
When Davin Cowper launched a rug company out of his apartment at Harbord and Bathurst in January, 2020, he wanted to appeal to millennials ready to upgrade from mass-produced products and “actually do something with their interiors.” Read more
August 16th, 2021 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: Horn on the Cob (July 2021)
Horn on the Cob performed their 120th porch concert on July 21 before taking their summer break. Featuring special guests Tania Gill on Accordion and Dave Clark on drums, the 15-person band opened with Odessa Bulgar, a lively Klezmer tune. “They’re a treasure to the neighbourhood,” said local resident Susan Starkman. Horn on the Cob looks forward to playing again but doesn’t have a set schedule. “We all love making music together and sharing it with the neighbourhood!” said director Adam Seelig. NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
ARA, city, seek to find ways to accommodate growth
(From left) Jessica Bisson (project administrator and survey technician), Kristina Martens (lead cultural heritage specialist), Meredith Stewart (researcher and survey coordinator) and Rebecca Sciarra (principal-in-charge, not pictured) of ASI Heritage consultants will be surveying the West Annex’s 1,007 properties from September to November as part of the West Annex Heritage Project. ARA project lead, Sandra Shaul (right), hopes the research will convince the city to declare the West Annex a Heritage Conservation District. NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
