PHOTO BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS: The June 23 unveiling of Nick Sweetman’s mural on the east wall of 442 Bloor St. W. coincided with the proclamation that Toronto is now the first official Bee City in Canada. Commissioned by Burt’s Bees, Sweetman’s mural — which features the female metallic green sweat bee responsible for a large amount of pollination — is intended to demonstrate the bee’s importance, and how we, on earth, says the artist, “are the single house on the block” with only one earth to keep healthy.  Read more

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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.  Read more

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Phase two additions include a new stage area

By Geremy Bordonaro

After a long wait, Margaret Fairley Park is set to undergo its second, and final, stage of revitalization this summer. Construction is expected to begin in the middle of July and finish this autumn.  Read more

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PHOTO BY JENNIFER ROBERTS/GLEANER NEWS: In July of 2007, Shadeem Provo and Khalik Provo, both then 14, compete for the ball on Hillcrest Park’s basketball court. Hillcrest Park received an A+ grade in our annual parks survey in 2007.

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An expansive dog run, a spot for runners, and an upgrade underway

In this, part two of our annual survey of parks in the Annex, we step into new territory. The majority of parks reviewed this month are ones we haven’t covered in the past, and as in part one, we discovered great greenspaces mixed among the mediocre, comfortable niches, and one park that needs a lot of work. Also this month? An update on work at the Brunswick-College Parkette, which is showing a lot of promise.  Read more

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City hosts consultation on Westbank’s Mirvish Village plan

By Annemarie Brissenden

So pervasive is the spectre of Donald Trump these days that it’s impossible to escape, even in the Annex.  Read more

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PHOTO BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS (JULY 2016): A dance troupe lead by a violinist performs outside the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema during the 20th Annex Family Festival on June 26. Hosted annually by the Bloor-Annex BIA (whose chair publishes this newspaper) and the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre with the support of many local businesses and organizations, this year’s festival featured a marching band jam session, street and stage performances, and food from restaurants across the neighbourhood.

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By Geremy Bordonaro

A dispute between Caplansky’s Deli and the building’s landowner over repairs caused the restaurant to be closed briefly in June before a court order reopened it.  Read more

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By Geremy Bordonaro

A recent community consultation meeting demonstrated that there is wide support for designating Kensington Market as a Heritage Conservation District (HCD), although one aspect of the neighbourhood — its unique culture — may be difficult to quantify under the heritage designation.  Read more

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The boldly named Transformational Task Force is a massive rethink of how the Toronto Police Service (TPS) spends over $1 billion each year as guardians of public safety. It has issued an interim report that is chock full of trial balloons worthy of serious consideration. However, there are some glaring omissions that are perhaps attributable to the fact that this is, after all, a review of the police by the police.  Read more

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Warrior Within driven by students, staff, and mentors

By Marielle Torrefranca

A student-driven short film project is being used to inspire a school curriculum regarding positive mental health for youth.  Read more

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Critically acclaimed Maureen Judge discusses early beginnings to her most recent film

PHOTO BY NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS: Maureen Judge followed five well-educated recent graduates who are unable to find employment or paid internships for her most recent documentary, My Millennial Life.

By Clarrie Feinstein  Read more

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