Bloor Street United Church located at Bloor St. and Huron St. is being reduced to its original architectural form to make way for luxury condominiums. (BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS)
A church founded by former slaves who were rejected by “white” churches
By Hailey Alexander
Founded by former slaves First Baptist Church Toronto is now located at 101 Huron St. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
First Baptist Church at 101 Huron St. was founded in 1826 by Elder Washington Christian and 12 other formerly enslaved people who escaped to Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. First Baptist Church is the oldest Black institution in Toronto. Read more
January 24th, 2023 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: We care Mr. Tory (Jan. 2023)
In 2018, and during our last municipal election, Doug Ford’s Conservatives slashed the size of city council in half to 26. This created outsized wards that are too big to manage and a population that feels disconnected from elected representatives. Burned out councillors are also a symptom, and we’ve seen a few—Joe Cressy and Mike Layton, for example, just walked away. Voter turnout is down to 30 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots, and the province under Doug Ford continues to further erode the power and relevance of local government in Ontario. Read more
January 24th, 2023 · Comments Off on FROM THE ARCHIVES (Jan. 2023)
BEFORE: Pioneer Hotel, circa 1890. Northwest corner Bloor and Bathurst. Courtesy Toronto Public Library, The Baldwin CollectionNOW: Pizza Pizza, January 2023. Northwest corner Bloor and Bathurst. Brian Burchell/Gleaner News
December 13th, 2022 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Bill 23: A housing plan built on corruption (Dec. 2022)
Back in 2018, Doug Ford spoke his truth and it was caught on camera. The reaction to that video was so swift and forceful that the premier was forced to make a promise: he would never touch the Greenbelt, he said. If we’ve learned anything about Doug Ford since then, it’s that saying one thing and doing another is standard practice, and promises are meant to be broken. In breaking his promise on the Greenbelt, Ford is inflicting incomparable damage on this province that extends from the land to our trust in democratic systems. Read more
Dianne Saxe won with a margin of just 123 votes. She replaces Mike Layton who chose not to run in order to spend more time with his young family. The Gleaner approached Councillor-elect Saxe and asked about her reflections on the campaign, the riding, and what University—Rosedale residents can expect. Read more
October 19th, 2022 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: A small business tax break in name only (Oct. 2022)
In November of last year Mayor John Tory announced a new small business tax that was meant to reduce the property tax burden that small businesses must pay to the city. In theory, this meant an across the board decrease of 15 per cent for properties that met two criteria: lot size and value. It turns out however, that the methodology chosen by the city is so flawed that it appears that as many as 20 per cent of properties will not get the break even though they meet the requirements. Read more
September 27th, 2022 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: Bloor Street United demo begins (Sept. 2022)
Work has begun to in part demolish, and in part to restore, the Bloor Street United Church located at Bloor and Huron streets. A new luxury condo will be constructed to the north and west of the original church building. The section on the left will be removed and the part on the right restored. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
September 27th, 2022 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Spadina Station gets a lift—two, actually (Sept. 2022)
The intersection of Spadina Road and Lowther Avenue will be a construction zone as the TTC adds elevators below. COURTESY THE TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION
The TTC is planning to add two elevators to its sprawling Spadina subway station. These will be located under the intersection of Spadina Road and Lowther Avenue. Read more
