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.  Read more

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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.  Read more

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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.  Read more

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Bill 165 offers consumer protection, unifies industry

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.  Read more

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Our third survey of development projects in our coverage area highlights projects that interest us, trends that appall us, and elements that enthrall us. We favour innovative projects that connect with a neighbourhood’s built form, reflect community consultation, and meet the objectives of the City of Toronto’s Official Plan. We take a dim view of developers that do an end run around the process and appeal directly to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), which demonstrates little respect for the city’s urban planning guidelines. And, we — once again — make an argument for razing the OMB. Please click on the image below to enlarge.  Read more

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Businesses decry lack of consultation

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.  Read more

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Seaton Village loved for its friendly, low-key character

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.  Read more

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Student athletes launch online petition

By Marielle Torrefranca

In the latest of a saga of hurdles, construction of Central Technical School’s $7-million sports facility has been stopped until further notice, said Razor Management Inc. (RMI).  Read more

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Specialized facility meets urgent need

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.  Read more

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Cancelled car tax could have made up difference for Toronto

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.  Read more

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Harbord Village plan targets laneways, parkettes

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  Read more

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Animating our local laneways

By Joe Cressy

Downtown communities like ours face unique challenges and countless opportunities. Almost every day, in conversations at our local coffee shops, in public meetings, and as we connect with our neighbours, we look for ways to work together to build our communities. We look for opportunities to enhance our parks, support our neighbours, and to create new public spaces.  Read more

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The attack is the fourth sexual assault in the area this summer.

By Andrew Schopp

A 27-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the Kensington Market area early in the morning on Sunday, August 19.

A white male in his 30s was seen fleeing the scene in a taxi.  Read more

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