Local CPC candidates hope to rehabilitate political brand By Annemarie Brissenden The local Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) candidates are hoping to convince Annex residents that their political brand is not at odds with downtown in the upcoming federal election. “There’s a widespread misconception that conservatives can’t live here,” says Karim Jivraj, the CPC candidate […]

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Once the largest school of its kind in the British Empire By Annemarie Brissenden Central Technical School, or “Tech” as it is known to staff, students, and alumni, has always played a unique role in Toronto’s public education system. When then-prime minister Robert Borden laid its cornerstone on Sept. 3, 1913, Tech was well on […]

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Lucky to have top professional in Canada, says producer By Annemarie Brissenden It all happened somewhat by accident. When Kei Yano attended a meeting about a play that dramaturge David Ferry wanted to stage in the neighbourhood, it wasn’t with the intent of landing a contract. She was there to represent the Palmerston Area Residents’ […]

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The thought of bicycling down a highway is a frightening prospect. It is dangerous, and that is why it is prohibited. Bloor Street is technically a highway too, King’s Highway No. 5 to be exact, named in 1925 for King George V. Those high hydro poles whose lights appear only to serve to illuminate third […]

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Build stronger cities By Adam Vaughan When it comes time to vote in October’s federal election, will this city try to make a point, or will Toronto residents make a difference? It’s an important question. Recent elections and modern politics are increasingly reduced to ballot questions. The public debate is degraded by attack ads and […]

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Park marks The return of summer also marks the return 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. In part one, we rate eight parks, noting when we visited each one, and featuring our favourite […]

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Central Tech students graduated into advanced apprenticeships In honour of Central Technical School’s centennial, we thought we’d have a look through the Gleaner archives and pull up some of our favourite pieces. This month, we feature a story that appeared in February 2003 about the cancelling of Tech’s prestigious aircraft program. Keep an eye on […]

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Residents and business-owners vow to battle proposed development By Annemarie Brissenden Kensington Market is once again preparing for battle. In what’s becoming an increasingly familiar story in this part of Toronto, an application to replace a non-residential automotive rental facility at College Street and Augusta Avenue with a mixed-use development has the area’s residents and […]

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Popular park will benefit from development dollars By Annemarie Brissenden and Brian Burchell It will be a whole new ball game for Christie Pits Park when the bats start swinging next spring. A major revitalization of the park is slated to begin this summer; one that will see safety improvements, new courts, and community enhancements […]

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Westbank Corp. has submitted its building application to the City of Toronto for the redevelopment of the Honest Ed’s site and the adjoining Mirvish Village. The store has been saying a long goodbye for some time now but it’s finally slated for closure Dec. 31, 2016. Though the building application is in, it is far […]

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The Bloor-Annex Business Improvement Area (BABIA) has endorsed Westbank Corp.’s proposal for the redevelopment of the large area at the southwest corner of Bloor and Bathurst streets that includes Mirvish Village and Honest Ed’s. “We have been deeply engaged with the developer and recognize its outreach to the community,” said Brian Burchell, chair of the […]

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