Heritage Toronto unveils Joseph Bloore plaque PICTURE BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS: Approximately 100 people gathered at 117 Bloor St. E. on Aug. 31 to celebrate the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to Joseph Bloore. The plaque, located close to the site of Bloore’s home, includes a part of a previous one dedicated to the inspiration […]

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As Canada celebrates 150 years of colonialist history, this display presents another vital component to our history, which has forever shaped the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. The exhibit delves into the geographic land negotiations — treaties — that predate Canadian Confederation. Each of the 24 panels provides a comprehensive explanation of the complicated […]

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Fully restored statue returns to school By Linda Nguyen A bronze soldier has stood proudly in front of Harbord Collegiate Institute for 83 years. He’s watched students saunter in and out of class each day, watched as they skateboard and chatter at his feet, but most importantly, he’s watched over them. Nicknamed “Our Soldier” by […]

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Three Annex veterans recall war service By Annemarie Brissenden Georgette Caldwell remembers the exact moment she decided to join the Women’s Royal Naval Service. It came after the first firebombing of London. Walking along the churchyard of St. Paul’s Cathedral, “you could smell the wood burning, and the cobblestones underneath my feet were still steaming.” […]

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Crossing Bathurst Street with A Different Booklist   By Annemarie Brissenden The Postman, a 2015 play about Albert Jackson, Canada’s first Black postman, opens with an invocation. “Toronto the Good. Toronto, the White. Toronto the Christian, Irish, Scottish, English. This is happening right here in this neighbourhood: Harbord, Major, Palmerston, Brunswick, Euclid, Borden,” says Jackson. […]

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Walter Allward designed Vimy Ridge, local war memorials By Alfred Holden In honour of Remembrance Day, this month we reprint former Citybuildings columnist Alfred Holden’s November 2003 piece on the sculptor who designed many of the nation’s most affecting and prominent war memorials. Though he was an artist, Walter Allward believed no picture, story, or […]

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College Street organization hosts Mandel’s Dreamery installation By Clarrie Feinstein When you walk along College Street, you are struck by it immediately. Both out of place, yet oddly at home, it brings the contrast of now and then into sharp relief. And it reminds you of a time when Yiddish was the language of Kensington and the market […]

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Local residents recognized at Heritage Toronto Awards Former Chief of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and community historian Carolyn King received Heritage Toronto’s Special Achievement Award in recognition of her decades-long efforts to preserve the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation’s community and to celebrate First Nation heritage at this year’s award […]

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TDSB reverses Essex Junior and Senior Public School decision after community uproar This July 2005 article chronicling the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) decision to reverse its plan to lease an empty building at Essex Junior and Senior Public School reflects the challenges faced by municipal school boards that attempt to fund repair and maintenance […]

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Supporters aim to protect neighbourhood’s unique character By Geremy Bordonaro Even in a city known for its distinctive neighbourhoods, it remains unique. In this bustling centre, small shops, from grocery and thrift stores to restaurants, line the streets alongside hip boutiques that cater to the savviest of customers. Nary a car drives down the street, […]

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PHOTO COURTESY HVRA: Wendy Smith accepts the 2015 Peggy Kurtin Memorial Award on behalf of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association (HVRA). Presented annually by the Toronto Historical Association, the award recognized the HVRA’s oral history project, as well as its website.   READ MORE: Harbord’s history a mystery (January 2016) By Annemarie Brissenden Alive with […]

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Book launches, dance festivals, and fashion mark month By Dilara Kurtaran It’s been a little over two decades since Canada officially recognized February as Black History Month, and this year, the wide range of events aimed at honouring the legacy of Black Canadians includes book launches, lectures, and fashion installations. Local independent A Different Booklist […]

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