By Mike Layton The phone started ringing in my office almost immediately. Why is the Alex Duff Memorial Pool closed during the hottest days of summer? Why wasn’t the pool fixed earlier in the season? Why doesn’t it look like anyone is working on it? All valid questions that deserved answers. And especially when the […]

[Read more →]

By Annemarie Brissenden Although it may seem from his last name that his future was pre-ordained, Brian Green’s career at the City of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation department really began as the result of a lark. Thirty-one years ago, he wrote a gardener’s test at the suggestion of his sister. When he passed, his […]

[Read more →]

By Annemarie Brissenden Founders of the popular Bloor-Borden farmers’ market are concerned that they will be unable to run the market for much longer if their provincial grants continue to decline. Now in its ninth year, the market operates every Wednesday until Oct. 19 from 3 to 7 p.m. out of the Green P parking […]

[Read more →]

By Annemarie Brissenden It’s hard to feel sad when playing a ukulele. “Everyone feels good when they play the music,” laughs Sarah Bradley, a branch head librarian with the Toronto Public Library (TPL). She and her colleagues have been running a ukulele program at the Lillian H. Smith branch at College Street and Spadina Avenue […]

[Read more →]

Fans celebrate another up-and-down season By R.S. Konjek Baseball won’t be rushed. It is a pastime to be sipped and savoured. The game will outlast all manner of hindrances en route to its conclusion — be it a rainstorm, a tie score, or a lopsided blowout demanding a show of mercy. With few exceptions, the […]

[Read more →]

Rogers family donates $5 million to Hot Docs By Annemarie Brissenden Ninety years after John Grierson — who would go on to become the first commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada — coined the term documentary, Toronto’s burgeoning narrative feature industry has secured a permanent home. Late last month, Hot Docs received a […]

[Read more →]

PHOTO BY R.S. KONJEK: Jon Waltenbury patrols the outfield at Christie Pits during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ game against the Brantford Red Sox on May 22. Waltenbury’s three-run homer put the Leafs ahead for good, and ensured an 8-6 victory. R. S. Konjek summarizes a month of Maple Leafs in his baseball column.

[Read more →]

Annual parks survey returns Upkeep, or lack thereof, marks the return of our popular Grading our Greenspace feature. Published in two parts, we visit parks in our coverage area and review them based on cleanliness, amenities, and atmosphere. Our round-up reflects a mixed bag: some parks continued to be great, while others seem to have […]

[Read more →]

Concerns raised about lack of consultation for Central Tech space By Geremy Bordonaro Improvements to the Lennox Street expanse between Central Technical School and its art centre are well underway, but residents attending a May 5 information meeting questioned whether the design reflected the best use of the land. When the refurbished landscaping — now […]

[Read more →]

Community meeting scheduled for June 13 By Annemarie Brissenden A new on-site park with dog run, increased heritage conservation, and a refined built form that includes reduced streetwall heights and densities marks the major features of Westbank Projects Corp.’s revised zoning application, which the company submitted to City Planning last month. Westbank has embarked on […]

[Read more →]

New facility to include childcare spaces By Annemarie Brissenden Local Catholic elementary school students will soon have a new school with a view. The Ontario government has announced that it will spend $9.4 million on a new school to be built where St. Raymond Catholic School currently sits on Barton Avenue, overlooking Christie Pits. The […]

[Read more →]

Newcomer Kitchen a welcome taste of home By Geremy Bordonaro Imagine that you have been stuck in a hotel room. You were thrown from the comforts of your own home and now find yourself in an unfamiliar land. Nothing looks the same. No one speaks the same language. All you have is you and your […]

[Read more →]