The Liberal and New Democratic Party (NDP) candidates for Spadina-Fort York (the southern half of what was formerly Trinity-Spadina) have come out strongly against any plan to expand the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Sitting member of Parliament (MP) Adam Vaughan, and former MP Olivia Chow, who are running in Spadina-Fort York, have both said […]

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Although gun crime is high in the entertainment district, neighbourhood crime and crime incidents related to gang activity is down, reported Staff Superintendent Francis Bergen of the Toronto Police Service at a 14 Division Community Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) meeting on Sept. 14. Bergen said that gun crime has been “off the charts in the […]

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A jumble of stories about an area lost to time By Annemarie Brissenden Before there was Ed Mirvish and his free turkey giveaways, there was Merle Foster and her annual Christmas trees; parties the sculptor would throw in St. John’s Ward for children who would have little other pleasure during the holiday season. Foster’s story […]

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It’s a myth that only the Conservatives can be trusted with managing the economy. Under their “stewardship” we are the only G7 country in a recession, and while Mr. Harper argues how “risky” it is to trust either opposition party with managing the balance sheet, his government has run successive deficit budgets and our economic […]

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I read the September Gleaner article “A haven for children’s literature”, on the 20th anniversary of the Lillian H. Smith library, and I was instantly brought home to my old neighbourhood in Toronto. I remember fondly afternoons spent reading a book in the garden behind the library. Or wintry afternoons spent roaming through the stacks, […]

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Thank you for your article in the August 2015 edition “Breaking bread with friends, Harbord Bakery marks 70 years”. It was a joy to be reminded of the rich history of the Harbord Bakery and how intertwined it is with the neighbourhood. Raffi Kosower, Roslyn Katz, Susan Wisnewski, their families, and the incredibly friendly bakery […]

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I lived above the Harbord Bakery (“Breaking bread with friends”, August 2015) in the early ‘60s. A newcomer to Toronto, I initially saw only space (furnished one-bedroom) and location (close to the U of T) that were right for me; however, I was soon to learn what a legendary roof I had found. The Kosowers […]

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The problem is that the function of arterials is still seen only as moving cars and trucks By Joe Cressy and Albert Koehl Residents of downtown Toronto will soon start to notice an important change on their streets — a change that is going to make life safer for all our neighbourhoods. In the coming […]

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Greenspace, heritage, and integration at top of list as Westbank opens Markham House Westbank opened its Markham House Citybuilding Lab to great fanfare during the Mirvish Village Sidewalk Sale on Sept. 19. Featuring a model of its proposed redevelopment for the site including Honest Ed’s and Mirvish Village, Markham House (610 Markham St.) will be […]

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Let’s lead so they will follow By Terri Chu, The federal election has been lack lustre on the environmental front to put it mildly. In fact, finding an environmental platform from the three major parties to write about for this final piece before election day is akin to searching through Kim Kardashian’s twitter feed for […]

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Frankenstein Live emphasizes language over spectacle By Annemarie Brissenden How does one reckon with the horror of one’s own creation? It’s a question posed by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, and one asked of the audience in Frankenstein Live premiering this month at the Walmer Centre Theatre. “[Frankenstein] was so obsessed with creating […]

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