“This will be a relief to the neighbourhood”—Sue Dexter, HVRA
By Annemarie Brissenden
After one last weekend-long blowout, the doors of the Brunswick House closed for good, leaving the neighbourhood eagerly anticipating the site’s next, presumably quieter and more agreeable, incarnation.
The City of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation department is considering two layouts for the renewed Huron Street Playground. The first option (above) includes welcoming park entrances, a southest corner activated by destination play equipment, and the removal of the existing fence. In the second option (below), a perimeter path surrounding the play equipment will provide a circuit for racing or running. The existing fence will remain, complemented by the addition of new welcoming entrance options. Images courtesy of Forest and Field Landscape Architect and the City of Toronto.
The Annex Residents’ Association (ARA) has unveiled a new web application to track all the building developments in the areas on and north of Bloor Street.
Supervised drug injection sites are on their way to Toronto if local councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) gets his way. The rookie member of city council finds himself on many civic bodies, but at the Toronto Board of Health, he is the elected chair. Cressy announced the initiative in late March after the board directed the Medical Officer of Health to conduct community consultations for several supervised injection sites. This could lead to the federal government’s endorsement of the proposal; that is, making it legal for injection drug users to come into a controlled site with their own privately procured drug, get some guidance and a clean needle, and under the watchful supervision of a nurse, inject themselves.
Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion
Re “Bike lane plan up for debate” (January 2016): As someone who has actively chased better Bloor Street biking for over a decade, I should be very happy that bike safety changes may finally occur, but I’m not fully pleased.
Tags: Annex · Letters · Opinion
“If passed, Bill 165 will regulate the home inspection industry by licensing home inspectors.”
By Han Dong
On March 3, 2016, Bill 165, Licensed Home Inspectors Act, 2016, my private member’s bill, received unanimous consent in the Ontario Legislature, and was referred to the committee on regulations and private bills.
By Annemarie Brissenden
Chinatown business owners are apprehensive about the Evergreen Centre for Street-Involved Youth’s relocation to the area, but community leaders are confident that any concerns can be addressed before it opens in September 2017.
By Annemarie Brissenden
In Seaton Village, children regularly run the risk of being late for school, but the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of their parents. In this everyone-knows-everyone neighbourhood — still a friendly hamlet that’s home to residents who have lived there for decades — the morning walk, or the inevitably not-so-quick jaunt to Fiesta Farms, is an opportunity for friends to swap stories and share the latest news. It’s easy to lose track of time.
COURTESY HOLLY THOMSON/TORONTO ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE
The city has a plethora of handy services to help you redirect waste from your garbage bin.
By Mike Layton
Tags: General
YMCA Sprott House provides transitional housing for 25 LGBTQ2S youth.
CORRINA KING/GLEANER?NEWS
By Summer Reid
Homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirited (LGBTQ2S) youth finally have a place to sleep without intimidation and harassment.
By Han Dong
Recently, the Select Committee on Sexual Violence and Harassment submitted its final report to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I am privileged to have been a member of this all-party, non-partisan committee of the Legislature. The recommendations that came out of this committee were developed through the testimonies of those who came forward with personal stories and firsthand experiences. These will help establish a foundation for future action.
Tags: General
By Annemarie Brissenden
The City of Toronto’s proposed tax-supported operating budget for 2016 rings in at just over $10 billion, but what’s remarkable is what it doesn’t include.
Tags: General
In-ground pinchpoint planters, like the one on Robert Street shown above, act as a curb extension, provide an immovable barrier that discourages drivers from making illegal manoeuvres, and are not subject to the graffiti found on their above-ground counterparts.
COURTESY SUSAN DEXTER
By Marielle Torrefranca