Site recommended for heritage list—impact on development unclear

PHOTO BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS: Heritage Preservation Services has recommended that 698 Spadina Ave., home to Ten Editions Bookstore, be protected.

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Three Annex veterans recall war service

By Annemarie Brissenden

Georgette Caldwell remembers the exact moment she decided to join the Women’s Royal Naval Service. It came after the first firebombing of London. Walking along the churchyard of St. Paul’s Cathedral, “you could smell the wood burning, and the cobblestones underneath my feet were still steaming.”  Read more

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Crossing Bathurst Street with A Different Booklist

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Recommendations for mandating community participation

PHOTO CREDIT BY BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS: Planned by the OMB: College Street is rife with developments denied by the city, only to have been approved on appeal by the provincial agency.

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Captain Owen Stanley (1811-1850) painted this watercolour based on drawings he made while on Sir George Back’s Arctic expedition in 1836 and 1837. He served on the HMS Terror, which almost a decade later would be lost after returning to the Arctic for the Franklin Expedition. Stanley was not part of the ill-fated voyage, having moved on to command his own ships and sail to New Zealand and Australia. The HMS Terror was found in September by the Arctic Research Foundation. The drawings are part of the University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library.  Read more

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Phase one to include removal of fence

COURTESY MATTHEW SWEIG/FOREST AND FIELD LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE INC.: The proposed plan for converting the unused schoolyard into a green oasis includes planters, an amphitheatre, and a path for crossing the site.

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PHOTO BY NOELLE DEFOUR/GLEANER NEWS:

The Scott Mission at Spadina Avenue and College Street opened a free toy store for parents of the city’s neediest children. From Nov. 28 to Dec. 9, registered clients of the Mission were able to shop for a bagful of new children’s items including books, sports equipment, puzzles, and games. The Mission has also provided 2,600 grocery store gift cards, emergency groceries, children’s snowsuits, a hot Christmas meal, and a Christmas gift for every child in its camp and youth program this holiday.  Read more

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Pacifico Life (444 Bloor St. W.), a marijuana dispensary, opened its Toronto doors late last month with a mission “to educate, empower, and alleviate”. The Hamilton-based business sells many different products derived from the plant, including bath bombs, lip salves, oils, and soaps. It also dispenses the flower itself, but only for medical use. The plant is sourced from 100 growers, some as far as away as British Columbia.  Read more

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Year in review reflects community initiatives

By Annemarie Brissenden

Little did we know last year that our annual holiday cover — a reproduction of a painting by Lawren Harris — would be quite so appropriate for 2016. Harris enjoyed a renaissance this year as the subject of both an Art Gallery of Ontario exhibition curated by Steve Martin and a documentary by White Pine Pictures.  Read more

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Thomas Fisher Rare Books a treasure trove unto itself

PHOTO COURTESY U OF T THOMAS FISHER RARE BOOK LIBRARY: “Arctic Amusements” by Owen Stanley depicts the ship’s crew passing the time while stuck in sea ice in 1836-7.

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One Spadina Crescent integrates new into old

PHOTO BY NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS: Architect Nader Tehrani (above) wanted to emphasize interconnectedness within and without in One Spadina. It was a challenge, he said, to “design a building whose main audience are designers of urban landscape”.

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City designates Bloor Street a cultural corridor

PICTURE BY SUMMER REID/GLEANER NEWS: The province has forgiven a significant portion of its loan to the Royal Conservatory of Music.

By Annemarie Brissenden, Brian Burchell, and Liivi Sandy  Read more

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PICTURE BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS
Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) was among the speakers at a late September Bells on Bloor event celebrating the installation of bike lanes between Shaw Street and Avenue Road. Organizers characterized the communal ride during which cyclists — including activist Albert Koehl, Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), Gideon Forman from the David Suzuki Foundation, and Jared Kolb from Cycle Toronto — rode a ring around Bloor Street, Sherbourne Street, and Queen’s Park Crescent, as a victory lap. For further information on Bells on Bloor, please visit www.bellsonbloor.org. —Annemarie Brissenden  Read more

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