A tree that keeps fighting back By Alfred Holden, Given up for lost, great elms soldier on. Extinction was predicted. I remember the news stories around 1970, so prone were the trees to deadly Dutch elm disease, which is still very much with us. But if you believe in evolution, or if you don’t, pull […]

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A review from when the Lillian H. Smith Branch was new In the October 1995 edition of The Annex Gleaner, Alfred Holden reviewed the then new Lillian H. Smith Branch of the Toronto Public Library. On this, the branch’s twentieth anniversary, we thought we’d take a look back at what we thought then. You be […]

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Pick a plan, the real enemy is inaction For me, there is very little doubt that carbon needs to be priced. The only question is what mechanism we use as a nation to price it for the most effective carbon reducing strategy. I had the fortune of hosting the “Why Should I Care?” forum on […]

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Harbord Bakery marks 70 years By Annemarie Brissenden For Rafi Kosower, Roslyn Katz, and Susan Wisniewski, VE day will always be a little extra special. Because it was on May 8, 1945, that their parents, Albert and Goldie Kosower, bought “the little bakery next to the fish market [at] the corner of Harbord and Major […]

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Proposal marked by diversity By Annemarie Brissenden The fine-grained retail and eclectic mix of buildings that developed over time along Toronto’s avenues is the inspiration behind Westbank Corp.’s application to redevelop the southwest corner of Bloor and Bathurst streets, which the company submitted to the City of Toronto last month. It’s been two years – […]

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In calling for bike lanes on Bloor Street, the Gleaner’s editorial (“It’s really a village, not a freeway”, July 2015) makes an obvious, yet routinely overlooked, point about how transportation planners still rank the movement of (single-occupant) cars far above neighbourhood values. Bloor Street may be officially a highway, or a “major arterial” under Toronto’s […]

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Thank you for your thoughtful editorial in the July 2015 edition. I think you articulated very well the many reasons for replacing one lane of car traffic with bike lanes on Bloor Street. You are right to note that if next summer’s pilot project is to succeed, it will be crucial that sufficient parking for […]

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Do voters want another four years of Stephen Harper? By Jennifer Hollett This year is a critical year for Canada. With an early federal election call, we are now in an 11-week campaign, one of the longest (and most expensive to taxpayers) in our country’s history. There are 30 new federal ridings across the country, […]

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Empower families, promote small business, and provide better transit By Karim Jivraj I am thrilled to be running to be your next member of Parliament. Over the past three months, our team of young volunteers and I have knocked on over 68,000 doors and I’ve personally met thousands of neighbours and local residents. Growing up […]

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This is the second instalment of Grading our Greenspace, The Annex Gleaner’s annual parks review. In this popular feature, we visit local parks and rate them on factors like amenities, cleanliness, and ambience. To revisit part one, please see our website, www.gleanernews.ca. Let us know what you think of our assessment by dropping us a […]

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A platform comparison with an environmental yardstick The federal riding lines have been redrawn for this election and we are no longer in the old riding of Trinity-Spadina. Instead, the Annex is now situated in the riding of University-Rosedale and we have several strong contenders to be our member of parliament. Current MP for Toronto […]

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Farmers’ market produce attracts shoppers from near and far By Axile Gerona The Bloor-Borden Farmers’ Market has returned to the Annex for an eighth season. It provides a complete sensory experience, for shoppers enjoy the vibrant colours and textures of produce as they enjoy music performed by a different musician each week. “The music has […]

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