Research measures economic impact of pilot bike lanes
Kelsey Carriere (right) interviews a legally-blind member of a tandem bicycling club that travels along Harbord Street. Carriere is part of the team studying the demographics of Bloor Street West between Shaw and St. George streets before and after the installation of a pilot bike lane in April 2016. Summer Reid, Gleaner News
After the Federal Court ruled in February that Zunera Ishaq, the woman at the centre of a now pivotal controversy, could wear her niqab while taking her oath of Canadian citizenship, Steven Harper’s federal government sought a stay of the ruling pending an appeal. For many, it appeared like an attempt to keep discriminating against Ishaq until the government got its day in court. But during the federal election, the Federal Court of Appeal denied its application, and Ishaq swore her oath, so that only days later she was able to cast her vote, one that would hold greater weight than Mr. Harper could have imagined.
Tags: Annex · Liberty · News · Editorial
Opportunity for positive, visionary change
By Mike Layton
In the last term of City Council we were up against Rob Ford and Stephen Harper. We found ourselves saying “no” and simply fighting to hold on to our public services.
Tags: Annex · Liberty · News · Editorial
Distracted drivers, riders, walkers most vulnerable at intersections
By Scotty Robinson
Speed is not behind the numerous car accidents, injuries, or pedestrian and cyclist deaths that occur. Our system of too many red lights and stop signs has dumbed down the majority of us, including pedestrians and bikers. It’s like zombie land out there, and then once you add in all the cell phones and other distractions, you have super zombies.
Tags: Annex · Liberty · News · Editorial
Liberals take new riding of University-Rosedale
Polling University-Rosedale
Chrystia Freeland, Liberal: 27,849 (49.8%)
Jennifer Hollett, NDP: 15,988 (28.6%)
Karim Jivraj, Conservative: 9,790 (17.5%)
Nick Wright, Green Party: 1,641 (2.9%)
Jesse Waslowski, Libertarian: 233 (0.4%)
Simon Luisi, Animal Alliance/Environment Voters: 126 (0.2%)
Memory builds sense of community
The Boys of Major Lane, located south of Harbord Street between Brunswick Avenue and Major Street, honours a group of young men who grew up on Major Street and never returned from the Second World War. Photo by Summer Reid, Gleaner News
By Annemarie Brissenden
Tags: Annex · Liberty · News · People
Celebrations include gala dinner, auction, and school tours
Tags: Annex · Liberty · News · People
Disposable diapers get taken out of green bin, sent to landfill
By Terri Chu
When people see my little one in a cloth diaper, I inevitably get questions about how I like them, what kind I use, and how eco-friendly they really are. While I try to answer most of them with grace, there’s one that’s been getting my goat and the City of Toronto really needs to educate new parents better.
Harbord Village’s Rory “Gus” Sinclair stands for a moment of silence during the University of Toronto’s Service of Remembrance on Nov. 11. Held annually at the foot of the Soldiers’ Tower, the service — during which the university community honours the faculty, staff, alumni, and students who fell during the First and Second World Wars and other conflicts — includes the singing of traditional hymns, the laying of wreaths, and readings, including In Flanders Fields, written by John McCrae, a university alumnus.
Tags: Liberty · News · People · General
University-Rosedale candidates tackle refugee crisis, social justice issues
By Annemarie Brissenden
Two University-Rosedale all-candidates’ meetings hosted in the Annex were a study in contrasts.
The first, held on Oct. 2 and arranged by a consortium of residents’ and business associations in partnership with three United Church congregations, was very much a well-attended local affair that focused on the social justice issues that the area’s citizens are known for championing.
Toronto Heritage recognizes HVRA Storyposts
This Toronto Legacy Plaque on Bloor Street honours Anna Russell, the “funniest woman on the opera stage”, says Grace Westcott, chair of the Toronto Legacy Project. The group has been nominated for a 2015 Heritage Toronto Award, one of several Annex-related nominees this year. Brian Burchell, Gleaner News
Madison Avenue is one step closer to becoming a Heritage Conservation District (HCD). On Sept. 8, the Toronto and East York Community Council endorsed a motion to designate Madison Avenue from Bloor to Dupont streets an HCD under the Ontario Heritage Act. The designation allows a municipality to protect and enhance the special character of a property or group of properties. The City of Toronto currently has 20 HCDs, three of which are in the Gleaner’s coverage area: Harbord Village Residents’ Association (HVRA) I and II, and the East Annex. Two more studies are also underway for HVRA III and the West Annex.
The Liberal and New Democratic Party (NDP) candidates for Spadina-Fort York (the southern half of what was formerly Trinity-Spadina) have come out strongly against any plan to expand the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Sitting member of Parliament (MP) Adam Vaughan, and former MP Olivia Chow, who are running in Spadina-Fort York, have both said the plan to bring jets to Billy Bishop would be grounded should either of their parties form a federal government after the election Oct. 19.