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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. By only doing a part of Bloor Street in the already well-served Annex area (where […]

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Bill 165 offers consumer protection, unifies industry [pullquote]“If passed, Bill 165 will regulate the home inspection industry by licensing home inspectors.”[/pullquote] 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 […]

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Transforming neighbourhoods into open air galleries By Annemarie Brissenden The 416 Project, an ambitious city-wide guerrilla art installation, is set to hit the Annex in the coming weeks. Canadian artist Jorge Molina is installing 416 six inch by six inch canvases on wooden utility poles in 35 neighbourhoods across Toronto. Each canvas depicts what Molina […]

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Galleries & Studios Hop returns to Markham Street April 23 and 24   By Annemarie Brissenden A Lithuanian pioneer of avant-garde photography will be in the spotlight during the Mirvish Village Galleries & Studios Spring Gallery Hop later this month. Still relatively unknown in North America, Vitas Luckus (1943-87) was a Soviet-era photographer whose work […]

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Several local galleries are participating in this year’s Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival, now in its 20th year. The largest photography event in the world, the festival features 1500 artists in 200 exhibitions across the Greater Toronto Area. Mark your ballot on May 17 at 918 Bathurst for The Dark Room 5.0, which will feature a […]

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Relentless OMB stifles creative green projects [pullquote]“I’ve come to the conclusion that the overriding factor in municipalities getting nice things is sheer willpower.”[/pullquote] By Terri Chu Every time someone mentions a great municipal infrastructure project on the other side of the pond (usually in a really progressive nation like Germany or Sweden), I mutter some […]

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Meet the Bathurst bird babicka By Michael Chachura In the parkette in front of Bathurst Station an elderly lady sits feeding the pigeons and the squirrels. Sun, rain, snow, or sleet, she’s here on the bench with a bag full of bread and some seeds. Why she feeds the animals, she doesn’t know. She’s not […]

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Pharmacy drugstore chain says it will respect building’s heritage By Annemarie Brissenden The Brunswick House has a new tenant. Rexall, a pharmacy drugstore chain, will be taking over the first floor of the building at 481 Bloor St. W., confirmed landlord Larry Sdao. The betting lounge on the upper floors will be moving out, and […]

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NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS Annex resident, Governor General’s Performing Arts Award Winner, and Order of Canada Member R.H. Thomson (shown here at The Green Beanery at Bloor and Bathurst streets) stars as a prominent historian and Quebec sovereigntist navigating the ravages of dementia in You Will Remember Me playing at the Tarragon Theatre (purchase tickets) until […]

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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 […]

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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. Brent Mitchell, the mission program officer for the Yonge Street Mission (YSM), which operates […]

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