Act local to address the reality of climate change By Terri Chu Here’s a question for you: What’s more depressing, the ever-worsening predictions we hear from climate scientists, or the daily news of continued denialism from the Trumps and Fords of the world? If you live on Toronto Island, you are probably too busy to […]

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Lots of places for ambling with a dog, playing sports, or watching the world go by This is our first set of park reviews for 2019. The Annex and its surroundings are blessed with a rich array of green space — much of it under the umbrella of city parks. We grade them here, every year […]

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Tree canopy of Harbord Village depleted by 20 per cent By Nabahat Hussain A thorough tree inventory in Harbord Village shows that the neighbourhood’s tree canopy has decreased by 20 per cent in the past 12 years. This rate of decline is similar to that of trees in the Annex, north of Bloor. According to […]

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China done with being the world’s dumping ground By Terri Chu The Ontario government has announced it is mulling a ban on single-use plastics. As environmentalists rejoice at the small bone this gas guzzling loving government throws at us, we should all take a moment to thank China for this small miracle from the “red […]

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What does the emergence of Marie Kondo mean? By Terri Chu Few celebrities have given me hope about the fate of the planet quite like Marie Kondo has. We literally created a mega celebrity out of a woman who teaches you how to throw stuff away. Did coffee just come out your nose? Stop to […]

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Democrats Abroad celebrate mid-term results By Shyanne Cole Democrats Abroad gathered at the Madison Avenue Pub on November 6 to watch results for the mid-term election come in from the United States of America. American flags hanging from the walls, peeking out of shirt pockets, and draping many shoulders made it a very vibrant night. […]

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We need a ministry of adaptation I live in the city, have given up driving and most of my hobbies that produce a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, so I’m thrilled that the new carbon tax is finally getting implemented. I have huge respect for Catherine McKenna, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Her […]

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Florida’s red tide a harbinger of what not to do By Terri Chu Premier Doug Ford has scrapped cap and trade, embarking on a path of environmental destruction that’s fuelled by subsidies to polluters. The shamelessness is galling and we’re likely to see more of it over the next four years. The most concerning thing […]

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Giving the suburbs a leg up at the expense of progress Premier Ford wants to do Toronto a favour by slashing the size of council, and only Toronto seems to be targeted. Our ward of University-Rosedale, population 98,600, is now represented by a single councillor. To put this into perspective, Grey County, population 93,000, has […]

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From Christie Pits to Robert Street Park In this year’s final series of park reviews, we discover the best and the worst of our local green spaces. The best, exemplified by Christie Pits, feature wide open spaces, fields and courts, playgrounds and swimming pools, all of which are well maintained. The worst can be summed […]

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Environment would benefit from a system that’s not a winner takes all Big congratulations to Jessica Bell who is now representing us in University-Rosedale at Queen’s Park. It’s unfortunate that someone who doesn’t agree with science is calling the shots but the silver lining in the June 7 election is that we now have a […]

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Annual review highlights spots for a picnic, spots for strolling, spots for playing Our annual review of the green spaces in the Annex is one of our most popular features. This year’s inspection reveals that a local focus on green spaces has yielded parks that, for the most part, are cleaner and better maintained. There’s […]

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