Gleaner

Serving Toronto's most liveable community with the Annex Gleaner

ON THE COVER (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER (Mar. 2021)

The Bloor Annex BIA, in partnership with STEPS Public Art and local artists Chris Foster and Layne Hinton, has transformed three of their new parkettes into lighting spectacles. These kinetic installations use bright light sources that slowly pass through a long column of common kitchen colanders. The patterns create dynamic projections that shift as the light passes through in a gesture to the diversity of restaurants that are a staple of the Annex. On site along Bloor St. at Robert St., Major St., and Brunswick Ave. until May 31. COURTESY MELANIE RAMSAY, BLOOR ANNEX BIA

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Tags: Annex · News

NEWS: Bike lane refresh for Davenport (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on NEWS: Bike lane refresh for Davenport (Mar. 2021)

Updates would mirror protected bike lanes on Danforth

By Luca Tatulli

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Tags: Annex · News

NEWS: Community input changes Bloor/Spadina build (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on NEWS: Community input changes Bloor/Spadina build (Mar. 2021)

Developer returns to the table with a 35-storey plan for corner

A mix of commercial and residential development is proposed for the northwest corner of Bloor and Spadina. The plan includes a commercial podium. COURTESY IBI GROUP

By Mary An

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Tags: Annex · News

NEWS: Permanent pad for the Pits (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on NEWS: Permanent pad for the Pits (Mar. 2021)

Layton leads the initiative to get skateboarding pad installed quickly

DIY skateboarding ramps and half-pipes in Sid Smith Rink are finding a new permanent home in Christie Pits. COURTESY MIGS BARTULA, CO-CHAIR OF THE TORONTO SKATEBOARDING COMMITTEE

By Mary An 

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Tags: Annex · News

CHATTER: Runners Shop keeps the pace during pandemic (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Runners Shop keeps the pace during pandemic (Mar. 2021)

The Runners Shop team, celebrating one year in the Annex, includes (from L to R): Tara Lapstra, Greg Lindsay, and owner Lynne Bourque. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS

March 2021 marks one year since the start of the first lockdown in Toronto under the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto. It also marks a year since The Runners Shop moved to a more visible location at 374 Bloor St. W. The store’s opening came on February 18, just four weeks before the first lockdown. 

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Tags: Annex · News

CHATTER: “One-legged stool” build plan quashed on Prince Arthur (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on CHATTER: “One-legged stool” build plan quashed on Prince Arthur (Mar. 2021)

After years of opposition, many Annex residents relished the defeat of a proposed development on 64 Prince Arthur Ave. The proposal was brought to the City of Toronto twice – the first time as a 29-storey condominium building with luxury rentals, the second time as a 19-storey building. In both instances, the design was one of twisting steel and glass that would have stood in stark contrast to the low-rise brick and vine neighbourhood. At the end of January, the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) wholly dismissed the developers’ appeal.

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Tags: Annex · News

EDITORIAL: Organization, not talk, needed for vaccine roll-out (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Organization, not talk, needed for vaccine roll-out (Mar. 2021)

We called in the army to fight COVID-19, then hired a retired general to lead the vaccine roll-out. Now, as the process stumbles forward, the general’s off with a pat on the back from our noble premier. At a press conference announcing the end of General Rick Hillier’s contract, Premier Ford told the press, “I tried to get him to renew (his contract) but, as he said, ‘Doug, I did the job I came for, we got everything set up.’’’ Yet here we are, with fewer than three quarters of our seniors over the age of 80 vaccinated and the premier still falsely blaming the Federal government for a lack of supply. The governmental incompetence on display is as astounding as it is dangerous. 

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

FORUM: CaféTO and ActiveTO city programs coming back (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on FORUM: CaféTO and ActiveTO city programs coming back (Mar. 2021)

Many reasons for optimism for the year ahead

By Mike Layton

The huge success of last year’s ActiveTO and CaféTO projects has shown that Torontonians are eager for safe opportunities to walk and bike around our city, and to patronize local establishments that have struggled over the last year. Locally, residents from across Ward 11 have seen the ways that inspiring actions taken in their neighbourhoods can significantly increase quality of life as we navigate through our recovery period.

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Tags: Annex · Opinion

FORUM: Vaccines, development, judicial reform dominate Queen’s Park (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on FORUM: Vaccines, development, judicial reform dominate Queen’s Park (Mar. 2021)

Massive power grab by Ford with Omnibus Bill 245 

By Jessica Bell

I was sitting near MPP Sol Mamakwa in question period, when Premier Ford accused Ontario’s only Indigenous MPP of jumping the vaccination queue after he flew into a remote community to be vaccinated.

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Tags: Annex · Opinion

FOCUS: Community concerned over 225 Brunswick Ave. plan (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on FOCUS: Community concerned over 225 Brunswick Ave. plan (Mar. 2021)

Former synagogue may turn residential

The one-time synagogue located on Brunswick has been offices since 1972. A developer proposes adding a floor and building seven residential units. Not all neighbours are thrilled with either the density or the change in built-form on the low-rise streetscape. LUCA TATULLI/GLEANER NEWS

By Luca Tatulli 

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Tags: Annex · News

FOCUS: On the road to a roof over his head (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · 1 Comment

Long term Bloor Street sidewalk dweller is hopeful

Jeff Reid loves the Annex, but after living homeless on Bloor Street all year, he sees his future self “as a working man with a dog and a life that’s not necessarily in the public eye.” Reid is seeking a bachelor for him and his dog, General. He is experienced in many types of general labour, and would love to get back into trucking. Good reference. Ideas? Contact him at 647-569-3666. NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS

By Nicole Stoffman 

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Tags: Annex · Life

FOCUS: Revitalization of Robert St. Field (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on FOCUS: Revitalization of Robert St. Field (Mar. 2021)

Long-awaited renewal of U of T park space for community use

Emerging from its confusing past, Robert Street Field has upgraded the playground and the field is now the largest geothermal project in Canada. COURTESY STUDIO tla OBTAINED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

By Mary An

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Tags: Annex · News · Life

ARTS: Celebrate 100 years of insulin with the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library (Mar. 2021)

March 26th, 2021 · 1 Comment

Take a deep dive into medical history at U of T

The Toronto research team managed to isolate insulin, free of toxins, in January 1922. As spring approached it was clear they had a major medical breakthrough on their hands. COURTESY THE THOMAS FISHER RARE BOOK LIBRARY

By Meribeth Deen 

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Tags: Annex · Arts