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
Since 2017, Christie Pits Park has welcomed local skateboarders on Sid Smith Ice Rink during the warmer seasons. With more people looking to get outside and get active with limited feasible options, the “pop-up” skateboarding pad has seen a drastic increase in traffic. However, the skate pad echoed loudly, being surrounded by wooden rink boards. This resulted in a lot of community tension, since it was at the edge of the park very close to homes.
“It’s noisy, really noisy,” said Councillor Layton. “It’s not people noise, it’s constant banging, over and over again. You can imagine, like seven days a week of being up until 11 p.m. because your windows are open and can hear the noise from your windows.”
Layton said that changing it to a single, flat concrete pad, affixing obstacles to the ground, and moving the skate pad further away from homes should address the noise issues. The new pad will “allow stakeboarders to create another DIY space for immediate access,” he said. Skakeboarding will no longer be allowed in Sid Smith Rink.
Nearby resident and coordinator of Christie Pits Skateboard Park, Raelynn Pluecks, proposed the pop-up park and coordinated with the Toronto Skateboarding Committee and local volunteers to build the ramps and half-pipes that have enjoyed so much use over the past year. She says the park was necessary due to a lack of skateboarding facilities in Toronto’s west end.
“To be able to go to an existing concrete park, it takes about an hour and 15 minutes on transit,” she says.
In the fall of 2020, tensions over the pop-up park were running high in the neighbourhood. In his motion to council proposing the creation of a concrete skatepad at Christie Pits, Councillor Layton wrote that “Parks Operations staff, my office, those involved in the Christie Pits DIY skate park, and local residents have been meeting for the last three months to try and get a better handle on the noise, but with limited success due to the acoustics created by the rink boards and positioning of the rink.” He also wrote that the amenity and its use are “too great to lose for any extended period of time.”
Layton says with the project approved, his goal is to set records with its implementation and to have it operational at the beginning of the next skateboard season.
The city gained public consultation last fall through an online survey to get a better sense of what the community thinks of a permanent skateboard pad within Christie Pits Park. In a newsletter Councillor Layton sent out on February 5, he states that out of 575 completed surveys, “89.2 percent of responses are wanting to see a permanent, dedicated space created at some point in the future.”
The newsletter also identifies three potential locations, far away from homes to address the sound issue, for the permanent skate pad within Christie Pits Park: the area south of the soccer field, the area east of the washroom building, and the area west of the basketball court. All locations would need a certain amount of concrete and lighting to ensure visitors have enough space and light all year round.
According to Pluecks, there is some concern with the space of the permanent skate pad, as the proposed locations offer a significantly smaller footprint than the pop-up skateboarding pad on Sid Smith Ice Rink. Increased skateboarding traffic is also expected because the skate pad at Dufferin Grove Park is currently under construction.
Councillor Layton’s February newsletter contains yet another survey seeking input on the new skate-pad’s location, orientation and size.
“We are trying to maximize the amount of space and minimize the amount of paving that has to be added to the park,” says Councillor Layton.
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.
As the community aspect of running was put on hold last spring along with the city’s marathon season, The Runner’s Shop was able to step-up as a community hub for everything related to running during the pandemic. Lynn Bourque along with her team of experienced runners, Greg Lindsay and Tara Lapstra, were able to provide a coaching-type customer service along with their curbside shoe fittings.
“We’re here to serve, that’s what I’m most proud of,” says Bourque, “I want this to be a place where people feel welcome.”
The shop-local movement has been a determining factor in the shop’s success, though Bour-que commends the Annex community for supporting local businesses even before the pan-demic.
Despite the need to physically distance, many new runners joined the scene as gyms and team sports closed down.
“The great thing about running is that it’s simple, all you need to start is a pair of shoes,” says Bourque, who adds that the right running gear can make a world of a difference in terms of comfort. The shop offers all sorts of apparel and shoes meant to make the process of running as smooth as possible. Bourque pointed out a windbreaker with a channels made to wick away sweat as soon as possible, proving the apparel to be more for technical than aesthetic purposes.
The Runners Shop was first opened in 1975 by David Ellis, an accomplished runner. Though many things about running have changed about the sport since then, the thing Bourque says she most loves about it is its growth towards inclusion.
“The first Olympic women’s marathon wasn’t held until 1984,” she says. “Which means that women wouldn’t have been able to set their sights on this event when Dave opened the shop.”
In terms of getting started as a runner, Bourque urges people to connect with a friend who wants to do it too, or get your kids involved. Also, the one critical mistake she says many new runners make is that they out-distance themselves.
“Consistency is key,” she says. “As is taking breaks and building in recovery time.”
Queen’s Park, Christie Pits, King’s College circle, the Central Tech track, Bickford Park, and the ravine behind Casa Loma are some great places to get started. For more advice, call the shop at (416) 923 9702. The shop’s Facebook page is regularly updated @RunnersSHOPTO.
—Nabahat Hussain/Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: Runners Shop keeps the pace during pandemic (Mar. 2021)Tags:Annex · News
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.
“In summary the Tribunal finds the development proposal akin to a one-legged stool: it is built solely on the locational attributes of the subject lands,” wrote the OMB.
Councillor Joe Cressy of Ward 10 was one of the project’s most vocal opponents and in a 2018 meeting he told the developer, ADI Development Group, that the project was one of the ugliest he had seen in his time at city hall and “the city will not allow this.”
The current 2-storey building at the proposed development site is a vacant medical office. Currently ADI has not specified any future plans for the site.
—Luca Tatulli/Gleaner New
Comments Off on CHATTER: “One-legged stool” build plan quashed on Prince Arthur (Mar. 2021)Tags:Annex · News
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.
Our province has been one of the hardest hit areas of Canada, yet we’re among the slowest to roll out vaccines. Ontario’s online portal for registration did not open until March 15, and by then frustrated municipalities, hospitals, and health districts had set up their own systems. So many people and organizations have pushed this roll-out forward – even the Toronto Public Library team has stepped up, calling all members over the age of 70 to help them register for their vaccination – but we have not seen the same commitment coming from our provincial government.
They were pleased to announce recently that they were “ahead of schedule,” and that the 75-80 year old cohort could begin inoculations. As good as that sounds, it is only possible because 30 percent of people over 80 did not get a dose – the prospect of long lines and the perceived risk of infection at inoculation sites served as a major deterrent. Some are homebound and there is no system in place that allows them to get vaccinated.
The province’s “ethical framework” around the vaccine roll-out is supposed to prioritize those people most at risk from COVID-19. The biggest risk factor is age, but police and firefighters have been pushed ahead in the queue. Stating that, “our cops are tops,” does not equate to a public health strategy, rather, it’s an election strategy.
Premier Ford likes to blame the federal government for problems with the vaccine roll-out, pointing to a lack of supply. Those problems have been resolved, the supply chain from Ottawa is set to triple by April. The federal government has distributed vaccines equitably, and the province is not following suit. Toronto represents 20 per cent of the province’s population, has one half of its doctors, and has received only enough vaccine from the province for 6.5 per cent of its population. Haldimand—Norfolk has received 10.8 per cent by comparison.
What we need now is an equitable and risk-based plan to get the supplied doses to the people who need them most. The race is on to get people vaccinated before COVID variants spike. We need someone like Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a top infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto and member of the task force, to take charge. Science needs to take the lead, not politics.
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.
The City of Toronto is now in a unique spot to be looking towards redefining our streets away from traditional, and one-sided, use.
More specifically, the ActiveTO program is dedicated road space that facilitates active transportation for essential trips and physical activity, and was a significant component of the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild’s COVID-19 — Impacts and Opportunities Report. It’s become clear that transportation infrastructure will be critical for Toronto’s recovery, and will ensure a pathway to build back better and prioritize investments that support key priorities all through an equity and resilience lens.
ActiveTO is composed of three main programs; Major Road Closures, Quiet Streets and Cycling Network Expansion. Over the past year, this set of programs allowed for the largest expansion of cycling infrastructure in the city’s history and supported thousands of safe cycling and walking trips.
The major road closures were short-term recurring closures (i.e. weekends and holidays) of major roadways adjacent to popular trails to provide more space for walking and cycling, thus enabling physical distancing. The program was deemed a success as thousands of people made use of it with record numbers in May and then levelling off to over 36,000 people during weekends in June, July and August.
As Transportation Services has proposed that the ActiveTO Major Road Closures program continue in 2021 and beyond, one exciting addition to this project that I would like to share is city staff’s recommendation that a Complete Street ActiveTO Pilot be installed on Yonge Street this year. The pilot will not close Yonge Street, but will see the addition of patio spaces, cycling infrastructure, and a separation between pedestrians and the roadway. Parking will still be available and drivers will still be able to travel through the area.
A midtown ActiveTO connection is essential, and it is clear that Yonge will provide the best possible route due to the number of businesses it will help support; the needed safety enhancements it will provide; its location on a subway route; and its low traffic volumes compared to Avenue Road and Mount Pleasant – the other two streets that staff evaluated.
As we continue to navigate the new and difficult circumstances created by the pandemic, I strongly believe that the Yonge Street pilot will go a long way in supporting residents and businesses. The installation of on-street patios, protected bike lanes, parking and delivery areas, and beautification measures will ensure that everyone can safely enjoy Yonge Street this summer.
In the pilot, city staff will be taking best practices learned from successful projects such as “Destination Danforth,” and adapt them to Yonge Street through consultation with businesses and residents, and through ongoing refinements based on data and community feedback. I look forward to being part of that process, and will also share the opportunities for public consultation through my newsletters and website as they become available.
I want to thank residents for contributing their ideas and support towards making our neighbourhoods more conducive to green infrastructure and active living.
As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with my office with your questions or concerns at Councillor_Layton@toronto.ca or by calling 416-392-4009.
Mike Layton is the city councillor for Ward 11, University—Rosedale.
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.
MPP Mamakwa had been invited by First Nations leaders to address vaccine hesitancy among Indigenous people, many of whom have been traumatized by the healthcare system’s systemic neglect of their needs. MPP Mamakwa did not jump the queue.
Doug Ford’s accusation was racist. It was also an attempt to distract from the government’s messy vaccine rollout as it implies that MPP Mamakwa and First Nations people are somehow responsible for others having to wait longer for their vaccine.
Questions and concerns about the vaccine are the top reasons why residents are contacting our office. Residents want to know when they’re eligible for the vaccine, where they can register, who is being prioritized and why. These are critical questions because for some of us, COVID-19 is life threatening.
This is the largest vaccination campaign in Canada’s history. We should expect and accept a few hiccups. The biggest issue Ontario faces is a critical shortage in vaccines, which is not the provincial government’s responsibility.
Now here’s where Ontario could do better: the government factors in vulnerability, risk of exposure and age to determine vaccine priority. Experts have assessed the government’s framework as mostly ethical, but there have been some gaps.
We have been asking the government to take an equity-based approach and move people with disabilities and underlying health conditions further up the queue.
We have been advocating for the government to allocate more vaccines to postal codes that have higher COVID-19 spread, such as Scarborough and Peel.
We also want the government to do a better job of distributing vaccines fairly to accommodate the fact that some regions, like Toronto, have a higher percentage of people eligible for a shot in phase 1, like health care workers. It’s a failure to be fair that led to some public health units to vaccinate people over 80 while some PSWs working in long-term care homes in Toronto were still waiting. These equity issues should be fixed.
Ontario’s vaccine registration system is just plain bad. Every public health unit in Ontario had to set up their own registration system because the Ontario government did not have a working registration system set up in time. They had a year to get this right, and they didn’t.
If you have additional questions or concerns about the vaccine rollout that you believe I should raise with the government then please contact our office.
While vaccines dominate the news, at Queen’s Park, the government is introducing legislation that has nothing to do with health. Here are three bills that we’re debating that you should know about.
Bill 245, the Accelerating Access to Justice Act, further limits the participation of municipalities and residents in land use planning decisions.
Bill 245 merges the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal into a new mega-tribunal called the “Ontario Lands Tribunal.” This new tribunal gives adjudicators the power to dismiss a hearing without listening to the evidence, bans most appeals to tribunals, and limits everyone who is not the lead applicant to just giving written testimony at hearings. Bill 245 also gives the Attorney General more say over the judicial appointment process, politicizing a judge-selection process that is recognized as a global model of fairness and impartiality.
Bill 25, Protecting Ontario Elections Act, doubles the maximum donation Ontarians can give to a political candidate from $1650 to $3300. This is a blatant re-jigging of the rules to help the Conservatives raise more money for the next election. Bringing big money back into politics will mean that everyday people who cannot afford to donate $3300 will have even less influence over the Conservative government.
Finally, Bill 261, the Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Act gives the Ontario government even more power to use Ministerial Zoning Orders (MZOs) whenever and wherever it wants.
If this law passes, the government will not only be able to use MZOs to override municipal rules and impose its own planning rules, but will be able to exempt itself from key provisions of the Ontario Planning Act. Recently, the government has issued dozens of MZOs on land being developed by developers who have donated to the PC party. This is unethical, and not how planning should proceed at all.
Instead of debating planning laws, I believe we should be approving measures to get us through this crisis. Here are a few ideas: an eviction moratorium, more support for businesses, paid sick days, safer schools, and more funding for public health. That’s what I’m fighting for.
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
A unique character building with an interesting history graces the corner of Brunswick and Sussex avenues in Harbord Village. In the 1930s, 225 Brunswick was a synagogue for one of Toronto’s oldest Jewish Orthodox congregations, Shomrai Shabbos Congregation. In 1972, the building came to host the Toronto School of Art. Currently, it houses four different tenants including the Annex Designers and Writers Co-op, The Childcare Resource and Research Unit, and a policy research institute.
If Kopas Developments has its way, the two and a half story building will house seven residential apartments and include an additional floor.
The building’s neighbours have voiced differing opinions, including some strong opposition to the plan.
Jeff Kopas, president of Kopas Developments, says his company has been working on the proposed development for the past three years.
“225 Brunswick is a beautiful and unique character building in our community,” his company wrote in a letter to residents dated February 21. “But it is in disrepair and having been built as a synagogue that has always been used as a commercial building it no longer has a legal usage. It makes sense to adapt it for residential usage.”
A number of residents in the community have cited issues with the development’s re-design, size, and number of units. Some residents also see the upgrades as disrespectful to the historical significance of the building and have taken issue with the proposed redesign not fitting into the existing built form of homes on Brunswick Avenue.
“I have no problem with the number of apartments specified in the proposal. I’m not concerned about parking. We need more density in the downtown area. I take issue with the postmodern eruption along the south facing roofline,” said resident Paul Aitken. “It’s in very high contrast with the style of the existing building, an aesthetic that appeals to architects and hipster wannabes but no one else. If the developer were to offer a design more respectful of the existing building and neighbourhood I would be fully supportive, but I hate it.”
Aitken has been a resident of Brunswick Avenue for 25 years and warns about the reaction many long-term residents of the area will have towards this building’s proposed change.
“People distrust change of any kind and will react badly to change that adversely affects them directly,” said Aitken further describing his and the community’s concerns.
Four residential units would be located in the basement and on the first floor while an additional three units would be located on the second and third floors. The upgrades would also see a new metal roofing and siding installed on both left and right sides of the building while retaining the same roofline. The newer roof design stands to be one of the most unique features of the building with its right angle design. The upgrades would incorporate additional balconies connected into the residential units. The proposed development’s height would increase to 12 metres from the current height of 10 metres. The total gross floor area of all additional floors covers 826.46 square metres.
The number of units and size of the proposed development has also caused concerns about waste management.
“If there are seven units in there, you’re going to face challenges with garbage and other household waste. Each household has one green bin, one blue bin, and one grey bin,” says nearby resident Katrina McHugh. “If you multiply that by seven, you’re looking at 21 disposal bins, that’s the size of a single family unit or even two units. That’s a hell of a lot of garbage that’s going to be sitting on the property.”
McHugh has been a resident of the community for 40 years and says that she believes that Kopas Developments did not properly consult her community.
“We’re not renters, we’ve all been here for over 20 years,” says McHugh of the core group opposing this development. “This is our home. The developer says, ‘our community,’ but he doesn’t live here.”
Despite the opposition from some long-term residents, the proposed development has gained some support in the community. Andrea Kristof is an architect and property owner and landlord of 155 Brunswick Ave. In her view the proposed development is a unique fit into the community that respects the historical significance of the building.
She also supports the proposed development due to being significantly smaller than other large scale developments in the Annex.
“This type of adaptive reuse is appropriate. It is a residential neighbourhood and it’s being returned to a residential usage from a commercial usage,” she says. “We need more housing units in the city of Toronto. I’m not sure we need more condos.”
Comments Off on FOCUS: Community concerned over 225 Brunswick Ave. plan (Mar. 2021)Tags:Annex · News
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
During Bloor Street’s pandemic year, you may have seen increased traffic in the doorways of Hot Docs Cinema, Inti Crafts, or the Annex Billiards Club. Street-involved people have been sleeping in these doorways at night for years, but due to commercial lockdown measures, they’ve become places to camp out all day long. All across Toronto, the pandemic has raised the profile of our city’s homelessness crisis.
If you live in the neighbourhood, you may well recognize Jeff Reid’s face as one of the many people who call these doorways home. You may have also noticed the ad he placed in the back of the Gleaner:
“I am Jeff. I live on Bloor Street, literally. I AM HOMELESS AND WANT TO RENT A ROOM IN THE ANNEX. I can pay up to $650/month. Jeff Reid (647) 569-3666.”
Brian Burchell, the Chair of the Bloor Annex BIA (and publisher of this paper), wrote the ad and gifted it after getting to know Mr. Reid, who he met five years ago when Reid was living on the sidewalk of Mirvish Village. Since the construction for the Westbank development forced Reid east of Bathurst street and onto Bloor St., Burchell has gained a greater understanding of his situation and learned that the 38-year-old wants to find a home.
“My sense was that Jeff just needed a bridge,” said Burchell, “and that he appreciated that his circumstances were not sustainable. At the time he still had his dog, and that was certainly not healthy for the dog to be sleeping on the sidewalk every night. “
Burchell even offered to be a character reference.
“I can speak to some elements of his character that I think bode well for his potential status as a tenant,” said Burchell, who added that when people were breaking windows on Bloor St at 3am, it was Reid who called the police.
For his part, Reid knows that living rough is not how things are supposed to be.
“I’d like to see myself in a nice bachelor with a washroom and a shower,” Reid said. “After which I’d like to see myself as a working man with a dog and a life that’s not necessarily in the public eye.”
His dog, General, a Queensland Heeler, has temporarily escaped the cold and is living with friends, until Reid finds a home.
Reid was born at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and adopted at the age of two by a family with roots on the East Coast.
Growing up in Ajax, he was, he says, “a very bad kid.” After his adoptive family gave up on him and moved back East, he became street-involved, travelling across the country, and gaining lots of work experience in the process.
“I’ve done roofing, brick and mortar, landscaping, cleaning/janitorial, auto/building maintenance, snow removal, yard work, painting, demolition (loved demo), moving, and line work, “ said Reid. “Ideally I’d like to get back into trucking. I loved trucking.”
Reid is also a humorous and gifted writer, and enjoys reading, gaming and music.
The shelter system is promoted as a way those who are living rough can transition into housing.
In Reid’s experience, however, shelters left him vulnerable to what he calls shelter crime: drug addicts who robbed him at night so they could get a little money for their next hit. In April, he had to leave an apartment provided by “Streets to Homes,” when he was broken into twice.
“A number of measures are in place to ensure the safety of clients,” the City’s Shelter Support and Housing Administration said, in response to inquiries made by the Gleaner, “including providing secure storage for belongings, on-site security at many sites, and requirements for regularly scheduled and frequent rounds by staff during all hours of operation to conduct wellness checks. The new shelter design guidelines recently released by the city also identify a number of best practices that are built into new shelter sites that incorporate a range of measures to provide spaces that enhance safety, including employing Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.”
The Gleaner ad generated a lead on an Air B&B, which fell through when Reid’s roommate ran into financial difficulty.
Fortunately, Woodgreen Community Services has since stepped in to connect him with a subsidy that will allow him to apply for market rent bachelor apartments.
“I would urge people to recognize the complexity of the problem of homelessness and to deal with the individual’s behaviour, as opposed to their status as homeless,” adds Burchell. This is a perspective shared by the The Toronto Police Service. The TPS can issue a ticket under the “Trespass to Property,” bylaw, but not if someone is on public space, not causing a disturbance, and not likely to pay the fine. “We usually ask them if they need anything, and try to connect them to services,” said Const. Caroline Dekloet of the TPS.
Now that Reid can afford market rent, he’s hopeful. He’s calling landlords, and getting himself cleaned up and ready for viewings. “The Annex has been super nice to me,” says Reid. “It’s kind of a late start, well restart, for that but I’m confident in my abilities to succeed given the chance.”
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
Robert Street Field has emerged from the ashes of its past. Located at the intersection of Robert Street and Sussex Avenue, the park, playground, and field are being revitalized by the University of Toronto and designed by Studio TLA.
The new playground brings needed greenspace to Harbord Village. Residents can enjoy the year-round greenery and playground as early as June. MARY AN/GLEANER NEWS
“I think overall, the benefits are there, and the park is going to be a nice addition to the community,” Nicholas Provart of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association (HVRA) said in a phone interview with the Annex Gleaner.
The park’s history indicates a very confusing past in terms of ownership and management, which led to the park’s neglect. After tearing down thirty-two houses in the late 1960s, the university created Robert Street Field with a skating rink and tennis courts which was greatly enjoyed by the community. The university came to an agreement with the City of Toronto where the city would pay the cost to maintain the area. In the years following this agreement, the community was disturbed when the ice rink became a storage space for garbage cans, and the tennis courts became a home for landscaping materials.
In 2013, the university proposed that a student residence be built in the area, which was an opportunity to address the community’s needs for the park. Adam Vaughan, councillor of Ward 20 at the time, held a public meeting to identify concerns and input them into a terms of settlement such as; preserving the heritage of the community, ensuring low noise impact, and improving the park and the Robert Street Field.
The plan for a 23-storey student residence at 700 Spadina Ave. is moving forward. The University of Toronto is renovating the park before construction begins.
“The majority of hard landscaping at the site has been completed,” said a spokesperson for the University. “Installation and further landscaping will take place as soon as the weather allows.”
The ice rink and tennis courts will not be revived. According to Provart, the location of the ice rink will be used as a staging area for the construction of the 23-storey building, and will then be converted to “multi-use courts.”
The public park will feature a wide green space with a central lawn, playground equipment, unique shade structures, various seating areas, and bicycle parking spots. There will be seasonal planting and a “mix of deciduous and coniferous plants so that there is year-round greenery,” the university stated in an email.
“It’s a big plus for the community with this green space in the village,” Provart said. “Could they have done more? Yes. Nonetheless, Harbord Village is quite under-serviced in terms of green space, so I think it’s a win.”
Alongside this revitalization of the park, the deepest large geothermal project in the country is being installed underneath the adjacent Robert Street Field. With this geoexchange technology, the university will be able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions for heating and cooling the new student residence by 90 per cent compared with natural gas.
According to the terms of settlement obtained by the Gleaner, the public will have access to the park and the playing field whenever it is not in use by the university or other organizations. It also states that the University of Toronto will ensure events on the playing field end by 10 p.m.
Understanding the history of Robert Street Field, the university is implementing measures to ensure the field is maintained.
“The University of Toronto will maintain the Robert Street Field including planting the area, maintaining the lawn and beds, removing waste, and repairing relevant systems. There will not be winter snow clearance and maintenance,” A spokesperson from the University of Toronto said.
Residents can expect Robert Street Field to be fully completed by the end of June, 2021.
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
Every one of us undoubtedly has a notable moment or story that reminds us of the moment when this pandemic “got real.” We are one year in, most of us are waiting for our vaccinations and for life to begin again. While we do, you may as well enjoy the COVID benefit of online exhibitions. The galleries and institutions that make up the Bloor St. Culture Corridor seem to have found their stride in this new world with a continuous flow of digital offerings.
Banting and Best did their first experiment, a pancreatectomy on a dog. When they ran out of dogs to work on, they purchased new ones off the streets of Toronto for between $1-3. COURTESY THE THOMAS FISHER RARE BOOK LIBRARY
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library offers a deep dive into “one of the most dramatic adventures in the history of medicine” which offered the world a “miracle cure.” Curated by Alexandra Carter and Natalya Rattan, the exhibit relies on The Struggle for Glory, an essay published by the late professor of history, Michael Bliss.
We all know the name of Dr. Fredrick Banting, but did you know his decision to take up the research of the pancreas was made following a coin toss?
In the first section of the exhibition, on “The Discovery of Insulin at the University of Toronto,” you may read the paper that led to the idea that kept Banting up at night and had him asking for laboratory space at U of T in November of 1920.
At that time, it had been 30 years since diabetes had been linked to a problem with the pancreas. As Bliss writes, “therapeutic progress was excruciatingly slow.” One of the only treatments for diabetes that had come to the fore in that time period was a starvation diet, which would prolong life in young diabetics by a year or two.
In the spring of 1921, Banting got the laboratory space he requested, some basic chemical equipment, a dozen dogs and two lab assistants. The assistants decided to split the shifts, and based on yet another coin toss, Charles Best took the summer stint. Flip through Banting’s notebook from those early days of research and do your best to decipher his doctor’s script.
The research was difficult to execute, which did not bode well for the dogs. To “replenish” they purchased dogs off the streets of Toronto for between $1 and $3.
In the summer of 1921, Banting and Best managed to keep “dog 92” alive for 20 days without a pancreas. It was one of many exciting disappointments that summer, and in the coming years they would hold on to the work done that summer as proof of their discovery. However, it would take years – and the work of other researchers – to purify insulin so that it could effectively lower the blood sugar of suffering diabetics, and no gain could seem to be made without an equal dose of drama. But by the autumn of 1922, the stories of “the awe-inspiring impact of insulin were beginning to multiply beautifully.”
A 15 year-old girl named Elizabeth Hughes became a “prize patient.” The girl’s letters to her mother are on display in this exhibit.
By the end of 1923, insulin therapy was available for people across North America and Europe. But that’s not the end of the story – The Struggle for Glory lay ahead.
March 26th, 2021 · Comments Off on GREENINGS: Urban agriculture has many environmental dividends (Mar. 2021)
Reconnecting with our green thumbs is good for us all
By Terri Chu
When most urbanites think of food, they think of restaurants, grocery stores, markets and the incredible diversity of foods available in a place like Toronto. What fewer of us think of is where all that food comes from, how far it has travelled to get to us, and what it takes to produce it. But it’s all worth thinking about, especially before making the devastating choice to pave over farmland in favour of highways and big box stores. It’s also worth considering how much we urbanites can realistically contribute to feeding ourselves.
One statistic I found says that every human eating the “Standard American Diet” requires roughly two football fields per year to produce the necessary amount of food. With this in mind, we need to densify our cities and keep existing farmland intact and in production.
We also need to make use of every available urban space to grow food-bearing plants, as there are numerous ways urban agriculture makes cities healthier and more inviting:
Urban gardens enhance local biodiversity and provide sanctuary for local pollinators and other urban wildlife.
Gardens reduce the urban heat island effect. Cities are known to be several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas both because of waste heat from city life, and because there’s little vegetation that can absorb heat. Any plants we grow in the city will take in that heat and use it for growing, all the while offering us oxygen and humidity in exchange.
Localized agriculture can help us to reduce energy consumption and garbage production. The transportation of food from vast distances is highly energy intensive – and that’s without energy considerations of chemical inputs required in the industrially produced food we import – and it also requires foods to be swathed in packaging. Why not eliminate plastics on food by eliminating the need for it in the first place?
Growing food connects people to nature, and to each other. It also raises awareness about healthy ways of growing food and what healthy eating looks like.
Gardening and growing food requires muscle, and it is a great alternative to hitting the gym.
We’re going to need small-scale localized food production. The agricultural sector is already suffering because of climate change. Smaller farms and food growing operations are more nimble and able to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
There are plenty of global examples of profound impacts made by small-scale urban agriculture. Cuba is famous for the burgeoning of small scale gardens in the face of US sanctions which made industrial farming nearly impossible, alongside a limited ability of the country to import food. By 2008, gardens covering 3.4 percent of all urban land in Cuba produced 90% of all the fruit and vegetables consumed in the country.
One third of Japan’s agricultural land can be found within its cities, and Tokyo produces enough vegetables to feed almost 700,000 people.
Faced with rations during the 1940s, 20 million American households planted gardens and produced between 9 and 10 million tonnes of food during the later years of World War II.
So what should we do here – and now? I would love to see space currently dedicated to cars repurposed into pedestrian, park and garden spaces. We have effectively paved paradise for parking lots, now’s the time to turn those lots green again.
