December 15th, 2025 · Comments Off on NEWS: Rep basketball is coming to the Annex (Sept. 2025)
Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre to host JCC Warriors
One of the teams from the JCC Warriors from the 2024/2025 season. COURTESY MNJCC
By Rose Haberer
The Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNjcc), located at 750 Spadina Ave., is tipping off a new chapter this fall with the launch of its boys U13 (under 13 years of age) rep basketball team. As part of the JCC Warriors program, the Downtown Warriors will bring competitive youth basketball to the Annex community.
Tryouts for the team were held on August 27 and Sept. 3, giving young athletes the chance to showcase their skills and compete for a spot on the roster.
With longtime MNjcc-affiliated coach Elias Mousmoules leading the team, the MNjcc is focused on helping players improve their skills, become team players, and develop a lasting love for the game.
The JCC Warriors rep basketball tryouts for other teams took place at two additional locations: the Schwartz/Reisman Centre in Vaughan, which hosted the north campus tryouts, and the Prosserman JCC, which serves as the south campus.
But why did the MNjcc choose to take the U13 division under their wing?
Jodi Katzeff, chief experience officer at the institute, explained that given the number of youth within the U13 age group interested in basketball, they decided to take the leap and establish their own team.
Katzeff said that the 12-player roster will practice twice a week, splitting sessions between the MNjcc and an outside facility. Competing within the Ontario Basketball League, they will face off against rep teams from across the province.
April Hazan, chief development & marketing officer at the MNjcc, said sports have always been a powerful tool for building leadership skills and resilience.
When asked why it was important to bring this new program to their location, Hazan stated that the MNjcc had not had a rep basketball team for a long time, despite it being a part of their long legacy of basketball in the building. “We had a unique opportunity. We were able to accommodate the U13 team by giving them a new home to practice and play in.”
For the JCC, hosting the U13 Warriors rep basketball team is also about connection, as it brings people together across cultures and within the community.
“The MNjcc is a Jewish space, but we welcome non-Jewish players as well, which at this point in time is really important to us,” Hazan explained.
“We want people to have experiences here that are meaningful, positive, and community-minded. Sports foster unity and harmony, and for us, they’re a way to stay connected to the Annex community,” she stated.
Comments Off on NEWS: Rep basketball is coming to the Annex (Sept. 2025)Tags:Annex · News · Sports · Life
December 15th, 2025 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Pierre is in a political pickle (Sept. 2025)
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre successfully ranted and rhymed his way into an almost certain win in the last federal election. The politics of fear and division took him a long way but then left him high and dry. Before the election, he finally got what he was demanding, the resignation of Justin Trudeau as prime minister. It turned into a bittersweet event for the wannabe prime minister.
Enter from stage right, Mark Carney. Elected as Liberal leader, he automatically became prime minister. His first act was to eliminate the consumer carbon tax. This is when things really started to unravel for Poilievre. With no policy ideas of their own, the Conservatives were banking on a negative campaign of “Fire Trudeau, Axe the Tax, Stop the Crime, Build the Homes.”
With the loss of two key planks of his negative campaign, he was forced to pretend they were still there. The Conservative leader mused Carney was really the same as Trudeau, which clearly no one was buying, and that the carbon tax was still lurking there waiting to bite the consumer. Bizarrely, Poilievre then tried to argue that the federal cabinet lacked the authority to halt the tax. Apparently, Poilievre needed to get elected right away and wanted the optic of removing the tax, but Carney robbed him of his thunder. That cagey Carney.
Poilievre’s “Stop the Crime” rhyme has a basic fact problem that anyone who can google can see. According to the most recent numbers from Statistics Canada, reports of violent crime in Canada from 2023-2024 fell 4.02 per cent, and nonviolent crime fell 5.7 per cent over the same period. Yes, there is still crime, but less of it to stop.
The final plank, “Build the Houses,” has a constitutional problem. Housing is a provincial responsibility which is shared with municipalities. Yes, the federal government can incentivize building but can’t really be in the driver’s seat.
According to the CBC Poll Tracker, in January 2025, the Conservatives held a 44.8 per cent lead in the polls among decided voters compared to the Liberals under Justin Trudeau at 21.9 per cent. That’s quite a margin to blow and still expect to lead the party, but leader he still is, at least until January, when there will be a mandatory review of his leadership.
The pickle for Pierre is to get himself reconfirmed as the leader by a sizeable majority of his base while still be seen as a prime minister in waiting. This will be a difficult task as he will need to promise one thing to the party and subsequently another to Canadians. These are in conflict. Of course, this may be moot, as it’s not clear if becoming likeable and reasonable is even in his DNA.
According to a recent Spark Insights national survey, most voters now prefer pragmatic leaders, as opposed to ideological ones, by a margin of 4-1. Most voters, 69 per cent, see Mark Carney as a pragmatist, including surprisingly 55 per cent of Albertans.
Mark Carney appears to have outflanked the Conservative leader as the practical get-it-done leader while always sounding reasonable, competent, and reassuring. Carney summons Canadian pride whereas Poilievre encourages self-loathing with his frequent go-to line “Canada is broken.” Most voters, 55 per cent, see Pierre Poilievre as an ideologue, not a fixer.
Carney enjoys a 67 per cent approval rating and is not someone just playing to his base. He has successfully revealed himself as someone who treats all Canadians as his base. For the Conservative leader to get re-elected by his party he will need to continue playing himself, the punk throwing snowballs at the bus, but that won’t get him elected as prime minister.
As this political theatre evolves, the question is whether Pierre Poilievre will.
December 15th, 2025 · Comments Off on FORUM: A busy August in Ward 11 (Sept. 2025)
A raft of transit and park initiatives
By Dianne Saxe
Here are the top three things you should know this month in Ward 11:
The TTC received federal and provincial support to buy 55 made-in-Canada subway cars for Line 2 (Bloor subway). This will keep most of the $2.8 billion of public money in Ontario, keep Ontario workers employed, and hopefully speed up delivery of the sleek new trains.
Toronto Hydro is running much better. This is a change I’m proud to have helped make happen. One year into its new CEO, renewal is spreading with a new board chair, new board members, new senior staff, and a newly open and inclusive culture. Staff turnover is down, engagement is up, and the strategy is shifting to a stronger focus on electrification and resilience, with a close eye on affordability. It is no accident that Toronto Hydro delivered such high reliability through this summer’s climate-breakdown heat waves.
The Ford government has finally approved most of Toronto’s 2021 official plan amendments about real estate development close to subway stations, with amendments to drive up density. The four-year delay and other Ford actions have cheated the city of thousands of affordable units, and the city is now barred from requiring accessible or visitor parking in some buildings.
In other news:
4. We’re making good progress on park upgrades in Ward 11.
The revitalized Ramsden Park tennis courts are receiving rave reviews, and (after my intervention) the Bill Bolton Arena roof repair went smoothly without disrupting summer skating.
The design competition for Ramsden Park’s Community Recreation Centre has been launched with a request for architect qualifications, and the Ramsden Park skating rink upgrades are on schedule.
More data is being collected about soil conditions, and survey results are being incorporated into a new design for Pricefield Park.
The new grass looks great at Vermont and Sibelius squares, and we have a signed contract for the new park at 819 Yonge St.
Seaton Park looks great now that the Bloor Annex BIA has taken over its maintenance, and the plan for upgrades to the Village of Yorkville Park is almost complete.
Scheduled for September: the new Honest Ed’s Park will be completed; the Evergreen Brickworks Children’s Garden should reopen; and construction should begin on College Park’s turf repair.
I am still pushing to get construction started on the Huron-Washington playground and the new park at Sussex and Spadina.
5. Construction is underway for the Avenue Road Safety Coalition’s long-awaited pedestrian crossing of Avenue Road at Ramsden Park. This crossing will lead directly to the new entrance to Ramsden Park, scheduled to be built next year.
Putting pedestrian safety first is only possible because last year we returned Avenue Road to four traffic lanes from Dupont to Bloor.
6. Installation of the new RapidTO Bathurst streetcar lane from Lakeshore to Bloor will begin around the end of September. Construction staging details should be available by mid-September.
7. Speeding up the Bathurst bus north of Bloor will be back on the agenda at Toronto and East York community council on Sept. 18, as well as other local traffic issues.
8. Traffic monitoring confirms that installation of bike lanes on Avenue Road between Davenport and Bloor has improved safety for both cyclists and pedestrians without increasing travel times for motorists, except that illegal speeding has been reduced.
9. If you are having recurrent problems with illegal parking in your neighbourhood, please file your complaint directly with the police and encourage your neighbours to do the same. Complaints trigger enforcement, and I have the parking enforcement group’s attention.
10. Bike lane maintenance and enforcement are improving, with more tickets issued to thoughtless drivers from January to August than in all of 2024.
And the city is finally making some effort to keep mopeds out of bike lanes. Much more is to be done, though.
11. The controversial wall on public property at 135 Glen Road, in Rosedale, will be considered by the Heritage Preservation Board on Sept. 22 and by planning and housing on Sept. 25, giving concerned neighbours two opportunities to be heard. The application should be posted on the city website on Sept. 17.
12. I’m opening a constituency office at 622 College St. It has taken years to find an office in Ward 11 that we can afford, that is convenient for constituents, and that meets city accessibility and security requirements. Now it just needs Wi-Fi, furniture, phones, lighting, etc. which should all be done in a few weeks. Come by and say hello!
Dianne Saxe is city councillor for Ward 11, University-Rosedale.
December 15th, 2025 · Comments Off on FORUM: Province late to the party on affordable housing rules (Sept. 2025)
What do the new housing rules mean for University-Rosedale?
By Jessica Bell
In August, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Robert Flack, approved changes to encourage the construction of more apartments and condos near transit stations and to require new developments to include some affordable homes.
How will these new rules impact the look and feel of University-Rosedale? Who will benefit? Who’s missing out? What can we do to improve them?
The rules will increase density and raise maximum heights in the areas surrounding 120 transit stations, including every transit station in University-Rosedale. Allowable density ranges from 20 to 30 storeys on very large lots near some stations to four- and six-storey buildings further away. The city has a map detailing the new rules for each train station.
The province also gave Toronto permission to implement an inclusionary zoning policy to require big condo developments to allocate five per cent of the homes for moderate and middle-income households for up to 25 years. Developers do not have to pay development charges on these affordable homes.
These new homes will be priced to be affordable for households earning between $44, 000 to $112, 000 a year, depending on the size of the family. An affordable one-bedroom condo will be priced at $374,000, and an affordable two-bedroom apartment will cost about $1985 a month to rent.
I have long advocated for increased density near transit stations and an effective inclusionary zoning policy because these rules will help address our housing affordability and housing supply needs. That said, I also have some concerns.
As Toronto embarks on building new housing, there is value to making sure the housing we’re building matches our city’s housing needs. Toronto has a lot of bachelor and one-bedroom condos, but not enough two- and three-bedroom homes, purpose-built rentals, and senior and student housing. I would like to see the province give the city the power to put additional conditions on new buildings to require the construction of needed housing.
The second is that the affordable housing requirement is small. The province has imposed an inclusionary zoning policy on Toronto that is a modest version of the policy the city passed back in 2021, four years ago.
The original inclusionary zoning law required developments to make up to 10 per cent of the homes affordable for 99 years. It applied to purpose-built rentals, not just condos, and it extended across much of the city, not just near stations. These rules were developed by the city after extensive economic studies and public consultation to ensure developers got the height increases they needed to still make a profit.
The third issue is timing. These inclusionary zoning rules will only apply to developments that have not yet been approved by the city. All the new developments that have been approved on Dalton, Walmer, Spadina, and Bathurst are not required to build any affordable housing. If the city’s inclusionary zoning policy had been approved by the province back in 2021, 9,000 affordable homes could have been approved by now. What a massive lost opportunity.
The fourth issue is the lack of clarity around who gets to decide who lives in these homes. Currently, it’s each developer’s responsibility to set up an application process for eligible people to apply, meaning an applicant would have to apply dozens of times for each building under construction. It would be better to have a centralized, transparent system run by the city so people who are eligible can apply and then automatically be eligible for all new available homes.
The fifth is that inclusionary zoning and new supply do not solve our city’s homelessness and addiction crisis. These homes will not be for the 81,000 people on the official City of Toronto wait-list for subsidized housing, nor the people living in ravines and encampments in Kensington, Rosedale Valley Road, or Dufferin Grove who desperately need supportive housing.
Governments at all levels need to implement immediate short-term solutions to move people out of tents and into housing, while implementing the long term plan of building, buying, and investing in affordable housing, including building housing on public land.
From the modular housing being built on Bellevue Avenue to 877 Yonge St. that the city bought with federal money and converted to supportive housing, we have examples of what we could do all around us.
We have to scale up housing that meets the housing needs of our city.
I welcome your feedback on these new changes to density and inclusionary zoning.
Jessica Bell is the MPP for University-Rosedale and the Shadow Minister for Finance and the Treasury Board. You can reach her office at jbell-co@ndp.on.ca or 416-535-7206.
December 15th, 2025 · Comments Off on GRADING OUR GREENSPACE: How do our parks rate? (Sept. 2025)
Part 3 of grading our greenspaces
Each year the Annex Gleaner reviews the many parks and parkettes in our coverage area using a variety of criteria. While there is no decisive “winner” of the grading, letter grades are assigned to convey the quality of the parks, considering aspects such as upkeep, design, and amenities. The reviews accompanying the grades also let the reader know what makes each space unique. This is the third and final instalment of reviews for 2025.
Bickford Park: A perfect place for a picnic. ABIGAIL HARRIS/GLEANER NEWS
Reviewed and compiled by Abigail Harris and Drew Glennie
HILLCREST PARK 950 Davenport Rd. Time of visit: 8:40 p.m. Grade: A+ (Last year’s grade: A+) Reason to go: Just above the thick tree line on Davenport is the quiet Hillcrest Park. If you are willing to brave a steep incline (via stairs or road), this park has everything: basketball and tennis courts, a ping pong table, numerous swing sets and play structures, a splashpad, and even a fenced dog park. For those wanting to sit and relax, it also has beautiful grassy expanses for a picnic blanket as well as several tables and benches. Overheard: A dog—some sort of doodle—yipping, tennis ball volleying, two kids racing towards their parents Did you know? The Toronto Nature Stewards meet up every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. to remove invasive plants from the park.
ST. ALBAN’S SQUARE 90 Howland Ave. Time of visit: 1:51 p.m. Grade: A (Last year’s grade: A+) Reason to go: St. Alban’s Square is a picturesque pocket of green at Howland and Barton avenues. It sees a lot of foot traffic and has one path right down the middle. There’s plenty of shaded benches scattered around and a drinking fountain that is dog-friendly for especially hot summer days. At the back of the park is the site of what was going to be the first cathedral in Toronto, the Cathedral of St. Alban the Martyr. However, the cathedral ran into financial problems, and its status as a cathedral was cancelled before the building could be completed. Today, it is the school chapel for Royal St. George’s College. This charming park is worth a visit whether you’re interested in the surrounding history or not. Overheard: A woman asking her dog if he would like to say hello to a passerby. Did you know? In 1990, environmental group Grassroots Albany led a project for the beautification of the park, in part to honour local resident Jane Jacobs.
BICKFORD PARK 400 Grace St. Time of visit: 9:04 p.m. Grade: A (Last year’s grade: A-) Reason to go: Bickford Park is like Christie Pits’ chiller, less popular young brother, and—as with all younger siblings (sorry guys)—their proximity means they must be understood in tandem. While it does not have nearly as many bells and whistles (or benches, or baseball diamonds) as Christie, Bickford does have two things its older brother does not: the train does not shake the ground every few minutes, and there’s an ever-popular dog park; need I say more. If you’re looking for a calm picnic spot in the area, I’d check out Bickford first. Overheard: Overlapping conversations from the dozen or so ongoing picnics; a busker playing the saxophone Did you know? This valley-turned-park is along the former Garrison Creek, one of Toronto’s lost rivers.
December 15th, 2025 · Comments Off on NEW IN BUSINESS: Delightfully Turkish (Sept. 2025)
Top left: Simit-Chi salad with chickpeas; at centre, fresh omelet, crispy simit, vibrant greens, and a glass of Turkish tea; and, at top right: crispy sigara börek, fresh salad, and vitamin-rich orange juice. COURTESY SIMIT-CHI
Simit-Chi is authentic and sooo delicious
By Howard Pressburger
I’m not saying that the Book City building at 501 Bloor St. W. is cursed, but since the landmark store was crushed under the heel of online bookstores, it has mostly rested in the dark, save for a vain attempt by Chipotle, when they learned the hard way that the Annex does not pay extra for guacamole.
So for quite a while the building was shuttered, only dressed by a fading green poster pleading “rent me.” The ghosts of what was were still strong enough as I was often asked “What’s going into Book City?”
This spring, a new sign was hung that read Simit-Chi, and on April 1, the paper came down. Suddenly there was a complete restaurant, ready for business. I was surprised because I did not see any work being done. It was as if this cafe was created by magic, or maybe there was a back entrance through the alley.
I was at the hardware store when a friendly Turkish gentleman, bearing baked goods, dropped by. The paper bag was filled with warm simits, the Turkish version of the bagel. This was unlike any bagel I had ever encountered, and I’ve been to New York AND Montreal.
Imagine the best bagel you’ve ever eaten had a love child with the tastiest croissant. In this moment of epicurean wonderment, I knew I had to try more.
And try more I did.
So I invited my cousin Tom to lunch. The atmosphere in the restaurant is casual and clean with an ample counter in front showcasing their wide variety of baked goods and several tables towards the rear.
Ordering at the counter, I got the lahmacun, while cousin Tom ordered hummus with a chicken doner and simit.
Lahmacun is a pizza-like crispy flatbread with spiced ground beef and lamb, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, red and green peppers, parsley, garlic, and tomato and red pepper paste. A bit of chilli adds a nice touch of spiciness. It is a surprisingly light meal with complex flavours and a high palate finish that pleasantly lingers. I paired it with a bottle of legendary Uludag orange soda.
Cousin Tom’s hummus and doner and simit (oh my!) was anything but run of the mill. Instead of being all crammed up inside a pita, it is plated, letting you control the proportions of the ingredients. The hummus was light and airy with a modest amount of garlic. The chicken doner was delicately spiced, moist, and tender. The simit was soft on the inside with a thin, crispy crust. Cousin Tom, an architect, seemed to really enjoy applying his trade by creating different combinations of his lunch.
To drink, he chose Turkish coffee, which is a robust, creamy brew, with the grounds left in when served.
Just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, I went back the next day for breakfast with my wife. Ali, the manager, recognized me from the previous day, as if he knew I’d be back. I asked him how this place came to be, and he told me of the story of the Turkish family who had a secret recipe for simit. They have been selling it as a street food in Turkey for a few decades and decided to bring it to Toronto, which is how they ended up here in the Annex. I wasn’t able to get much more history from Ali, but it is a secret recipe after all.
Meanwhile, my wife ordered menemen which is the Turkish version of shakshuka. This time around however, the egg is scrambled and cooked into a pleasantly mild tomato and green pepper sauce. Served with a soft and crunchy simit, it is a hearty breakfast that is not overly filling.
I had the Turkish breakfast plate. It’s an assortment of goodies, including a Turkish spring roll, a Turkish cheese bun, a boiled egg, feta cheese, cream cheese, olives, butter, honey, a tahini and organic Turkish grape syrup, and, of course, a simit.
The spring roll, although it resembles a typical Asian one, is savoury without the tanginess. The cheese bun is filled with a sweet mascarpone-like cheese. The tahini and grape syrup is a mysterious taste combination of sesame paste and a sweet grape reduction, perfect for dipping the simit. The breakfast plate is great for sharing.
Both my wife and I had Turkish tea which is a mildly spiced red tea served in a tulip-shaped glass.
I made one more visit to Simit-Chi and thought I’d be clever and use the Turkish greeting “Merhaba” with the counter person. Well, either they weren’t expecting it, or my pronunciation was ghastly (more likely), and I was served baklava. Not wanting to embarrass myself more, I took my purchase and swallowed the baklava, along with my wounded pride; they were both delicious.”
Howard Pressburger is the manager of Wiener’s Home Hardware across the street at 432 Bloor St. W.
Comments Off on NEW IN BUSINESS: Delightfully Turkish (Sept. 2025)Tags:Annex · News · New In Business
December 15th, 2025 · Comments Off on FOCUS: Robert Street Parkette to grow (Sept. 2025)
425 Bloor St. W. development includes expansion of public space
An artist’s rendering of the expanded Robert Street Parkette. COURTESY DTAH/BLOOR ANNEX BIA
By Gleaner Staff
Plans to demolish Metro at 425 Bloor St. W. and replace it with a 35-storey condo have not changed; however, the schedule is delayed due to market conditions affecting all new condo builds.
However, design work for an expanded parkette on Robert Street south of the playing field has continued.
Metro will be moving to the lower level of the new development on the northwest corner of Bloor Street West and Spadina Road (where 7-Eleven and Tim Hortons are currently located).
Since that development is delayed, so is the one at 425 Bloor St. W.
The Bloor Annex BIA currently occupies the city-owned right-of-way on the west side of Robert Street with a year-round CaféTO parklet; this is the only permanent one in the city.
“People do sit at the tables all year and the BIA has a winter planting scheme for the planter boxes there,” said Brian Burchell, general manager of the Bloor Annex BIA and publisher of this newspaper.
The east side of Robert Street has the existing parkette which will be expanded south and will repeat many of the elements: boulders, decking, trees, and pollinator gardens.
The public realm at the top of the street will be a unified space with soft curbs and road surface that would bring the two sides together. Cars could still pass through, but the design elements would significantly calm their movement.
The elimination of the grocery store and associated parking lot will diminish vehicular traffic to a fraction of what it is now.
As part of this plan, the developer will contribute community benefits funding (previously known as Section 37 funds) which the BIA will use to fund this new capital project.
This BIA-conceived plan enjoys full support from local Councillor Dianne Saxe, the developer, the Harbord Street Residents’ association, and Trinity St. Paul’s Church.
The BIA has built five parkettes along Bloor Street.
In 2023, the parkette designs won city council’s Toronto Urban Design Award for Small Open Spaces for their attention to detail, unique granite rock landscaping, and environmental considerations.
The plan is to expand upon this design success using the same landscape architect DTAH.
The parkette expansion would extend from where it currently terminates all the way to the south end of the existing parking lot. It will also include a redesign of the CaféTO parklet on the other side of the street. COURTESY DTAH/BLOOR ANNEX BIA
September 29th, 2025 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: By the Way to close on August 31 (Aug. 2025)
SORRY ! OUT OF CHICKEN !! A neighbourhood stalwart, By The Way at 400 Bloor St. W., is closing on August 31. When they first opened, their landlord insisted they keep the “Lick’n Chicken” sign—despite not serving any chicken. Please turn to page 2 for more. COURTESY BY THE WAY
A fixture on Bloor Street since 1978, By The Way will close its doors on August 31 for the last time.
The restaurant is remembered fondly by regulars for its quirky nomenclature, Levantine cuisine, and as an early adopter of vegan and vegetarian options as well as frozen yogurt treats.
In its early iteration as the Lick’n Chicken, it inherited the name and décor of the fried chicken joint that preceded it, even though it served up a vegetarian menu. To dispel confusion, they displayed a cheeky sign that read: “Sorry! out of chicken!!” When it was renamed By The Way, the chicken signs remained.
The restaurant’s presence on Bloor predates its owners. The Benedikts met on a kibbutz in Israel and were married in Mexico City. On their way back to Israel, they stopped in Canada to visit Amir Benedikt’s sister, Esti Filar. Esti was running the restaurant, then called the Lick’n Chicken, with her husband Dubi. She invited the newlyweds to join the venture.
“It was an opportunity to change my life. To try something completely different,” said Benedikt.
In 1980, the Benedikts immigrated and partnered with the family on their restaurants. In 1986, they split their holdings—the Filars took the Rosedale Diner, and the Benedikts took By The Way.
The work was gruelling. Benedikt often put in 15-hour days, seven days a week. “I cooked, I did dishes, I even served sometimes – I did everything,” he said.
But his hard work didn’t go unnoticed. By The Way quickly became a beloved neighbourhood haunt.
Everyone in the community is invited to stop in at By the Way for an open house on Sunday, August 31 at 6 p.m. to say goodbye.
Stay tuned for a full story on By the Way in the next issue of the Annex Gleaner.
—Gleaner News Staff
Comments Off on ON THE COVER: By the Way to close on August 31 (Aug. 2025)Tags:Annex · News · On the cover
September 29th, 2025 · Comments Off on NEWS: Self-driving delivery vehicles spark privacy concerns (Aug. 2025)
Province approves Magna pilot for several wards including University-Rosedale
Magna’s pilot program supports small-package deliveries like food, groceries, and retail items.COURTESY MAGNA
By Abigail Harris
Magna International, a global automative supplier and mobility tech company, launched their Automated Vehicle Pilot Program in May 2025.
The program is testing electric, self-driving delivery vehicles (SDVs) as part of a food delivery service, and the pilot area includes the Annex.
The Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) approved the pilot in April, allowing the vehicles to operate in Ward 9 and in portions of Wards 4, 5, 11, and 12.
All vehicles will receive their own Ontario licence plates and will be subject to the same road rules as conventionally operated vehicles.
According to Magna’s website, sensors on the vehicle will collect data from the surrounding area which will “incidentally include personal information such as images of people and vehicle license plates.”
In June, Khasir Hean and Ilya Kreynin, members of the group Technologists for Democracy, wrote a letter to Magna along with four other members detailing their privacy concerns with the pilot.
Kreynin and Hean joined other Technologists for Democracy members at city hall in June to discuss their concerns with the city’s infrastructure and environment committee, and city councillors passed a motion on June 26 to investigate data privacy issues surrounding Magna.
Kreynin said that they became aware of the issue when fellow member JJ Fueser told them about the new self-driving vehicle pilot.
“When JJ [Fueser] first brought this to our attention, and we gave a brief read of the open privacy policy that Magna has, it was egregiously overstepping,” Kreynin said. “We realized that there was really low awareness of this and that there wasn’t anybody else who was speaking out about this directly.”
Hean said Magna is recording faces because they believe them to be useful in determining the gait of passersby in relation to their vehicles.
“Magna fully intends to record the faces of individuals that it passes by on the streets because it believes that faces are useful to help predict where people are walking,” Hean said. “Other self-driving vehicle companies don’t record people’s faces. They blur them.”
Magna states that they will retain this data for “as long as necessary,” which Kreynin says sets a dangerous precedent.
“That’s entirely vague. They can keep it however long they want,” Kreynin said. “This is a new level of privacy breach in terms of this type of storing and anonymization. This company is running their cameras and robots into our neighborhood where people did not choose and consent to this happening.”
The privacy policy also asserts that data will be shared with third parties such as insurance providers, law enforcement, and other officials when required by law.
Hean says this raises many questions about Magna’s process of sharing this information and its ethicality.
“Where’s the accountability in that?” Hean said. “How will we be informed if the police decide to use Magna as a live tracking device as well as a food delivery service? How do we and the public know this? There’s no mechanism to inform the public.”
Kreynin says Magna responded to their letter in July, not by addressing their concerns, but by inviting them to tour their facility.
“While they invited us to the facility, they have not responded to any of the clear and direct concerns laid out in the letter in writing,” Kreynin said. “We have not received any kind of satisfactory or clear response from Magna at this time.”
According to Kreynin, an important consideration in this emerging new technology is whether it is helping or hurting communities
“The point of the vehicles is to replace workers,” Kreynin said. “This industry is only set to expand in a way that is likely to hurt local businesses and communities. The question is, what is the effect that this has on our society? This pilot is not just a pilot technology; it’s a pilot of integration into our society.”
Magna International did not respond to the Gleaner’s request for an interview.
Comments Off on NEWS: Self-driving delivery vehicles spark privacy concerns (Aug. 2025)Tags:Annex · News
September 29th, 2025 · Comments Off on NEWS: Telling human history through footwear (Aug. 2025)
Bata Shoe Museum celebrates 30 years of innovative programming
As part of their 30th anniversary celebrations, the Bata Shoe Museum unveiled their Rough & Ready: A History of the Cowboy Boot exhibit which runs until October 2026. COURTESY BATA SHOE MUSEUM
Curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, the director and senior curator at the BSM, the exhibition launched in May and traces the history of cowboy boots far beyond the Wild West, from the 10th century to today. Semmelhack chose this theme for the milestone celebration as its complex narrative represents the museum’s mission to illuminate human history through footwear.
“It’s not always known that the origins of the cowboy boot stretch far beyond the American West, including innovations developed in Asia, Spain, North Africa, and present-day Mexico. Since their invention in the late nineteenth century, cowboy boots have embodied contradiction,” said Semmelhack in a press release. “They have symbolized labour and leisure, freedom and domination, as well as resistance and reclamation. Whether worn in the saddle, on screen, or in the streets, cowboy boots are a cultural touchstone, embodying both tradition and transformation in a constantly changing world.”
The BSM was founded by Sonja Bata (née Wettstein), who was the wife of Thomas Bata, the head of the global shoe manufacturing company and retail store Bata Shoes. Sonja Bata acquired a large collection of footwear artefacts during her business travels around the world, and she founded the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation in 1979 which was dedicated to footwear collection and research. The BSM now holds 14,000 shoes and shoe-related artefacts from auctions, donations, and manufacturers. At any given time, the shoes on display account for only about three to four per cent of the collection.
The BSM officially opened on May 6, 1995 at 327 Bloor St. W. The building was designed by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama who drew inspiration from a shoe box. That year, Moriyama received the City of Toronto’s Urban Design of Excellence.
Proximity to other major institutions such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Arts, the University of Toronto, and TTC subway stations was an important consideration when choosing the location of the museum because the collection is intended for both researchers and the general public.
Since opening, the museum has had a large impact on not only the neighbourhood but also the city and the province.
“The Bata Shoe Museum is a special delight. It’s truly a gift to have an iconic Moriyama building in our neighbourhood,” wrote Charlotte Mickie, a vice-chair of The Annex Residents’ Association. “The exhibits are often delightfully whimsical, but they always have an appropriately firm footing in everyday life and revealing connections to popular culture.”
The Ontario Cultural AttractionsFund (OCAF) supports the marketing and promotional costs for cultural organizations such as the BSM to “increase the cultural cachet of Ontario,” said Thomas Vaughan, the executive director.
“What they’re doing is really interesting programming,” said Vaughan, “Not only is it all based around footwear, so that’s unique in and of itself, but they do really innovative programming. It’s not just like, ‘Oh, this type of shoe, that type of shoe.’ They really go deeper into the cultural significance of footwear.”
OCAF has invested $780,000 in the BSM since its decennial, including $80,000 for the 30th anniversary celebrations.
“They’ve been a fantastic client of the fund,” explained Vaughan. “They really showcase a unique cultural attraction, and it’s a real gift of the Bata family to the province of Ontario.”
“For 30 years, the Bata Shoe Museum has illuminated the global history of footwear and explored its profound cultural significance through groundbreaking exhibitions, publications, and programming,” wrote Semmelhack. “As we honour the legacy of our past, we also look to the future, affirming our commitment to education, preservation, and impactful storytelling through the lens of shoes. With an unwavering commitment to community, we look forward to celebrating with you and creating new memories for decades to come.”
Rough & Ready will remain on display at the museum until October 2026, joining the permanent exhibition All About Shoes which traces not only the history of shoes but history through shoes.
Running concurrently until March 2026 is Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists, which follows the history and impact of these collaborations. Exhibit A: Investigating Crime and Footwear will also be on display until September 28, and its varying and subversive interpretations of crime are not to be missed.
Tickets for the BSM are $16 for adults, $12 for seniors, $8 for post-secondary students, and $5 for children aged 5 to 17. Admission is free for everyone on Sundays, as well as for children under four, care and support workers, and Indigenous Peoples every day.
September 29th, 2025 · Comments Off on NEWS: Porch View Dances return (Aug. 2025)
150 residents attend 14th annual performance
Lucia Rojas performs I am who we are, choreographed by Pulga Muchochoma, at the opening night of the Porch View Dances on July 16. ABIGAIL HARRIS/GLEANER NEWS
By Abigail Harris
Contemporary dance studio Kaeja d’Dance hosted their annual Porch View Dances (PVD) in Seaton Village from July 16-20.
Audience members traveled as a group to watch choreographed dance works performed on the porches and lawns of local residents. The PVD concept was created by Karen Kaeja and has been co-developed alongside her husband, Allen Kaeja.
Kaeja told the Gleaner the idea was conceived in 2012 after she was inspired by watching interactions between her neighbors outside her front window.
“I noticed what was happening across the street and started dreaming about the gestures that were coming out of them while they were talking,” Kaeja said. “I started imagining that being put into choreography and teaming these everyday folks that live in these homes with professional choreographers.”
This year’s show featured three porch performances, three vignettes and one installation. The tour ended with a Flock Landing in Vermont Square Park, inviting audience members to participate in a choreographed group movement.
Roughly 150 residents came along for the opening night performance, with Councillor Dianne Saxe (Ward 11, University-Rosedale) and Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 12, Toronto-St. Paul’s) in attendance.
Tour guides Kunji Ikeda and Allen Kaeja took on the personas of Amon and Emon, guiding the audience between houses, from London Street to Euclid Avenue to Manning Avenue.
Kaeja said that the festival aims to bring together not only dancers, but participants from across Toronto.
“There are diverse choreographers from all over the city from all different backgrounds, and they bring their colleagues, friends and people that they know in their lives,” Kaeja said. “So not only are the choreographers from all over the city, so are the participants.”
According to Kaeja, the festival is designed to keep the audience on their toes while also feeling bright and approachable.
“We add in these surprises and make sure that the choreographers are keeping work light and joyful,” Kaeja said. “Really, this festival is about joy.”
Those interested in making a donation to support Kaeja d’Dance and PVD can visit their website at kaeja.org.
