After reading the opinion piece in the latest paper a few days ago, I thought I would give it some time. A week later, the profound disappointment at the tone of the piece still holds sway.
I have been a part of this community since 2009 and in business since 1998 on College Street, where I also got the Gleaner in my mailbox. And I have been gobsmacked at the divisiveness that has surfaced with the proposal from RapidTO.
From my perspective, the polarization of this topic is due mainly to the misrepresentation in the media of the parties involved.
Nowhere in this piece does it mention that the proposal involves dedicated transit lanes 24/7. That means no stopping, no loading, no deliveries, no pickups. That means no access, at any time.
This affects residents, the elderly, the schools, the theatres, the wellness clinics. Because for a good stretch of Bathurst there are no back lanes. There are no alternatives for a lot of addresses.
Referring to the success of the revamped Bloor Street is a clumsy argument. They still have parking and loading zones.
And that is what most of those affected are advocating for: a modified proposal that considers all the needs of the communities involved.
I hope there is a considered response to this.
—Regards, Trish, Owner EWANIKA 1072 Bathurst Street
My name is Paul Macchiusi. I am a Bathurst Street resident and business owner who is writing to express my profound disappointment with the opinion piece published on the front page of your May/June, Vol. 31, No.1 issue, titled “Empty Cars Don’t Buy Things— People Do” by Terri Chu.
As a community advocate who has actively engaged with stakeholders on the RapidTO initiative, I find the article’s misrepresentation of our position, lack of diverse voices, and reckless call to boycott local businesses both divisive and harmful to our equitable, bicycle-friendly and transit-oriented neighbourhood.
Your publication was invited to attend our recent press conference on June 11 at Kos Café, and you did attend. We clearly outlined our stance: We are pro-community, pro-transit, and pro-inclusive planning.
Yet, the Gleaner decided to publish a piece that fails to reflect the opposition to said perspectives, especially given that there were over 100 community members in support of our cause where 6 speakers were showcased and spoke on issues arising from the proposed changes.
Instead, you painted a one-sided narrative that mischaracterizes the entirety of why RapidTO is being opposed and absolutely ignored our concerns about permanent implementation and the need for broader consultation to ensure the plan serves all residents, including those who rely on reliable transit along Bathurst Street.
The author’s claim that transit delays are solely due to “empty cars” and congestion, oversimplifies a complex issue. TTC service reliability has been a documented challenge for years, with internal operational issues playing a significant role in the unreliability of their service.
To attribute delays entirely to street conditions dismisses the lived experiences of residents, and our advocacy seeks to address these systemic issues collaboratively, not to obstruct progress.
Most egregious is the article’s call to boycott businesses that support our position.
This is not a “transit corridor” in the sense of a highway; it is a vibrant neighbourhood where residents and businesses coexist.
Your publication is to support the community it calls home, and instead, published a piece that has a resident calling for a boycott of local establishments—part of the very community your paper claims to serve—and it is irresponsible and undermines the economic and social fabric of our area.
These businesses are not rallying against transit but are advocating for a plan that balances accessibility, equity, and community needs.
The Annex Gleaner has a responsibility to foster dialogue, not division. By amplifying a single perspective without engaging the diverse voices of our community, you have done a disservice to the principles of fair journalism.
I urge you to issue a correction that accurately represents our advocacy and to publish a follow-up piece that includes input from all stakeholders.
We remain open to collaboration and invite you to meet with us to discuss how RapidTO does not benefit our already equitable, transit-friendly neighbourhood.
I look forward to your response and hope the Gleaner will take steps to rebuild trust with our community.
—Sincerely, Paul Macchiusi Bathurst Street Resident, Business Owner and Community Advocate www.protectbathurst.ca
In her recent article, “Empty Cars Don’t Buy Things—People Do,” Terri Chu states that “A luxury Lexus with nobody in it is not entitled to take up the same space as a vehicle that transports dozens of the city’s most hardworking people. The rich are not entitled to public space. This space absolutely needs to be taken back…”
C’mon, a little harsh don’t you think, especially since many of your readers live in some of the most expensive real estate in Canada!
—Elden Freeman, Broker of Record Freeman Real Estate Ltd. 988 Bathurst Street, Toronto
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: No experience necessary managing a school board (July 2025)
Doug Ford has taken over four major school boards citing “financial mismanagement.” It is really nothing more than a power grab from a premier who would prefer you not look at the fact that it’s his own government whose fiscal house is not in order.
At the end of June, on the last day of school, Education Minister Paul Calandra announced the appointment of supervisors to take over the governance of school board trustees at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board.
At the TDSB alone, 400,000 Toronto voters elected 22 trustees. These trustees have now lost their jobs, and those who voted for them have lost their representation. The province has stripped the trustees of their responsibilities and their pay (all of $25,000 per year) and forbidden them from speaking to parents or the media. It’s not clear what the province would do if a disgruntled trustee should choose to exercise their right to freedom of speech.
A recent provincial investigation of the TDSB by Pricewaterhouse Coopers revealed no financial wrongdoing. It’s true that the TDSB has a projected deficit of $34.4 million for 2025-26, but they recently reduced that to $2.8 million. Hardly grounds for a hostile takeover. It’s not clear why the province has taken this step on the grounds of “financial mismanagement.”
Meanwhile, in the emperor has no clothes category, the province’s projected deficit has skyrocketed to $14.9 billion. Is it the TDSB or the Province of Ontario that needs to be put under parental supervision?
While it’s true that Ontario school boards are facing financial challenges, their sole source of revenue is the province. Since 2018, the Ford government has cut school board budgets by $6.3 billion. That figure is adjusted for inflation and changes in enrolment. It’s a familiar theme for Ford: bleed it and then step in to “save” it. Who knows what malice the province is planning for school board policy, special education, and the curriculum.
The supervisors themselves are not exactly top-drawer education professionals; in fact, they have no expertise in education whatsoever. In Toronto, both are Conservative insiders who have made donations to the party. Rohit Gupta, Metrolinx consultant and former adviser to Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is now in charge of the TDSB. No experience managing a school board.
Frank Benedetto now has the reins of the Toronto Catholic District School Board He is connected to the sitting Ontario Environment Minister Todd McCarthy private law firm, where he is the managing partner practcising in personal injury litigation. No experience managing a school board.
A failed 1988 candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada, Robert Plamondon, has taken control of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. No experience managing a school board.
See a pattern? Now local school boards are being governed by a group of political insiders.
Aside from the obvious fact that this movie will not end well, perhaps what’s most alarming is the affront to democracy it represents. School boards were the first elected entities in Ontario. Upper Canada enacted the Common School Act in 1816. TDSB has an enrollment of 246,000 students. The policies, curriculum, and scope of services provided by these boards starting this September will make a difference for generations to come.
This intrusion comes from the same premier who cut the size of Toronto’s city council in the middle of a municipal election. This is not about good governance, which Doug Ford knows nothing about; this is about power.
What’s next? A takeover of the City of Toronto? Unlikely, since the city already declined his offer to become mayor.
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on FORUM: Council still at work (July 2025)
Moving ahead on city building projects
By Dianne Saxe
Thanks to everyone who cheered and waved at the Pride Parade, enjoyed a Taste of Little Italy, revelled at the Jazz Fest, browsed the Rosedale Arts Fair, cheered for Orphan Annie, waved a flag on Canada Day, and decluttered at our Community Environment Day. I really appreciate your enthusiasm and support and your great questions at the door and at the town hall.
Our June council was dominated by a downtown versus suburb dispute about missing middle housing. To gently increase density and to qualify for federal housing funds, staff proposed allowing low-rise houses in neighbourhoods across the city to be converted into or replaced by buildings with up to six residential units (sixplexes). The existing limit is four. Staff predict that this would mean a gradual introduction of more housing choices. Perhaps one percent of houses will add more units each year.
Multi-unit homes are already common in Ward 11 and are part of what many love about it. In Ward 11, sixplexes will be no taller than one to four-unit homes; our neighbourhoods already have height limits that are higher than the suburbs. Other zoning rules, such as setbacks, will remain unchanged, making many lots too small for sixplexes. After a difficult debate, sixplexes were approved for downtown (Wards 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 19) and for Ward 23 (Scarborough North). Other wards can opt in.
Other notable items on the council agenda included:
More paramedics to bring down ambulance delays: Our city recently authorized the recruitment of hundreds more frontline staff and ambulance workers to help address delays and other system-wide issues, subject to provincial funding.
More school meals for hungry kids: We’ve recently expanded school food programs, including a phased implementation of a universal morning meal program in all Toronto school communities by the 2026/2027 school year. We want to use this as a blueprint for a universal lunch program by the year 2030.
Turning money-losing parking lots into housing or parks: The city has been looking at repurposing underperforming city-owned assets like parking lots and other facilities to meet housing and financial goals.
Appointing two great people to the Toronto Hydro Board: A hearty welcome to Lisa DeMarco and Paul Doyle, the newest members of the Toronto Hydro board of directors.
Annual reports on TransformTO (climate action) and Vision Zero (road safety)
Getting strategic about parking: The city has proposed a strategic plan to modernize parking management, aligning parking policy with broader city goals like climate action, housing, and traffic management.
Privacy issues relating to Magna’s robot cars recording faces for private use and profit: Ward 11 residents may notice a new type of vehicle on our roads: self-driving autonomous robots and their chase cars. Despite protests from the city, this pilot project is being run by Magna International and its subsidiary under a secret permit from the Ford government. It raises serious concerns about privacy, safety, and congestion. Residents should know that these vehicles are recording and storing facial data for private profit. Your only recourse is to complain to the Federal Privacy Commissioner at: https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/report-a-concern/. If you and many of your neighbours complain, the privacy commissioner may take appropriate action. Pass it on!
A downtown-east Homelessness Addiction Recovery and Treatment centre: The new centre is aimed at promoting treatment and recovery as part of a wider framework for tackling homelessness.
Better security in GreenP parking lots: A risk-based, multi-layered approach to improving security in parking lots usiusing technology such asCCTV, and a collaboration with Toronto Police and community safety officers.
Reducing salt pollution: The City of Toronto is calling upon the Province of Ontario to act forcefully to reduce road salt pollution from private contractors.
Improving traffic during repairs at King and Church: Accommodating transit during the King and Church intersection closure.
Meanwhile, climate breakdown brought our first miserable heat wave. Our office protested unwarranted pool closures and supported people suffering from extreme heat. Knowing that much more extreme weather is coming, I was delighted to launch Ward 11’s first mini forest on the west edge of Queen’s Park North. Trees provide clean, cool air and water and make our city more liveable. We need many more of them. If there is a young tree near you, please help by watering it deeply in hot weather.
Dianne Saxe is city councillor for Ward 11, University-Rosedale.
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on FORUM: Now more than ever, Ontario needs to buy local (July 2025)
Conservative government’s reluctance to lead is frustrating
By Jessica Bell
Donald Trump’s escalating trade war and threats to our economy should be a wake-up call for Ontario’s Conservative government to bring a robust economic plan that puts Ontario and Canada first. Doug Ford didn’t give us that.
People in our community want to do their part and support our country, province, and local businesses, and we need to make it easy for them to do so. But instead of a real strategy, the Conservatives proposed to recognize June 1 as Buy Canada Day.
Every day should be Buy Canada Day, not just one day. Small businesses in our community depend on us keeping our money local. That’s why the Ontario NDP introduced a law to mandate the labelling of Canadian-made products, including food, so that Ontarians can visit their local supermarket and choose to buy Canadian products. This would support local businesses, such as the independent grocery store Fiesta Farms here in University-Rosedale, and it would support local job creation. The Conservatives put politics ahead of patriotism and voted our motion down.
The moment we are in calls for unity of purpose, to take good ideas from all sides of the political spectrum so we can put our province first and invest locally.
What a missed opportunity. According to Bank of Montreal economist Robert Kavcic, even a modest shift in consumer spending toward Canadian goods could add $10 billion in value to the economy alone. Many small businesses in our community, from the Annex, to Summerhill, to Chinatown, would see the benefit of this directly.
This legislative session, Ontario should have flexed its hefty purchasing muscle and made firm commitments to buy, build, and invest in local projects, products, and services.
Ontario is investing $200 billion in infrastructure projects across the province, including hospitals, transit, schools, and childcare spots, all of which we need more of in University-Rosedale. These investments should be allocated to public agencies, and Ontario and Canadian businesses first, not foreign companies. The government should also mandate conditions to maximize these investments, such as requiring projects to use resources from our most trade- impacted sectors, such as steel, aluminum, and lumber.
Ensuring more government dollars go to Canadian and Ontario businesses and workers has huge economic value. Every year, the Ontario government buys $29 billion in goods and services, but only $3 billion goes to Ontario-based businesses. That number should be much higher.
Over the past few months, trade associations, unions, and businesses have been providing examples to the government on how exactly Ontario can support specific workers, public institutions, and business sectors at the local level.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture recommended Ontario require institutions, like schools (of which we have 33 in University-Rosedale alone), hospitals, and prisons, prioritize buying locally grown food because it would help Ontario farms and strengthen local supply chains.
What the Conservatives have proposed instead is a new $35-million grape program to encourage wine producers to use Ontario-grown grapes. While support for our wine sector is welcome, our entire agricultural sector needs support to withstand the impact of the tariff war, not just the wine sector.
Canada’s largest private sector union, Unifor, joined our call for governments to harness our lumber resources and build affordable housing to fix our national housing crisis. This plan would address housing needs here in our community and should include manufacturing housing in Ontario factories to create jobs, speeding up housing construction, and lowering construction costs.
Unifor also called on Ontario to contract with Canadian companies to build new transit lines and increase the Canadian-content requirements for municipal andprovincial purchases of streetcars, subway cars, and buses, especially electric vehicles—all of which help to power the TTC. This would have a visible impact within University-Rosedale, which has the most subway stations of any Ontario riding. Ontario has transit vehicle manufacturing plants in Thunder Bay and Kingston that are operating below capacity.
In Ontario, the standard requirement is that transit vehicles purchased with provincial funding must have at least 25 per cent Canadian content. The Conservatives relaxed this rule and allowed the massive Ontario Line subway project to be built by a U.S. company who was given the flexibility to meet a lower Canadian-content requirement of 10 per cent. That wasn’t a good move then, and it looks even worse now.
Ontarians want the Ontario government to have their back during this economically challenging time. Strong buy local and build local policies will help keep jobs in our community and province, keep countless small and medium sized businesses in University-Rosedale afloat, and help Ontario’s trade-impacted industries, like our manufacturing sector, weather Trump’s economic storm. What are we waiting for?
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.
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on SPORTS: Dos Santos finds a home at Christie Pits (July 2025)
Team leader racks up runs and chases records for the Maple Leafs
Ryan Dos Santos shows off his own Toronto Maple Leafs baseball card prior to a game at Christie Pits on July 11. For the first time ever, the Leafs have released a complete team set of cards available for purchase at the ballpark.R.S. KONJEK/GLEANER NEWS
By R.S. Konjek
The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball season is in full gallop.
For fans at Christie Pits that means lazy summer nights, home runs, and hot dogs.
The Leafs are putting on a charge for the Intercounty Baseball League championship. Halfway through the season, they hold fifth place in the standings. They are the second-highest scoring team in the league, guaranteeing audiences a show of offensive firepower each time they take the field.
Ryan Dos Santos is one of the horses pulling the blue and white chariot.
The 26-year-old Toronto native is having a career season. At the midway point, he leads the league in walks and is on pace to shatter the single-season record.
Of course, walks are not as sexy as home runs, but once he gets on base, Dos Santos makes the most of it.
He is among the league leaders in stolen bases, and he has scored more runs than any other player so far this year.
“I’m more disciplined away from my pitch,” Dos Santos says.
“Last year I set a career high for myself in walks, so I’m sticking with the same approach of looking for a fastball early. If I don’t get it, [I’m] not chasing a pitcher’s pitch on the outside to just put a ball in play but waiting for my pitch. It’s led to me getting on base a bit more through walks rather than hits, and my goal is to score runs.”
Scoring is definitely sexy.
Dos Santos first joined the Leafs in 2019. At the end of last season, he was selected co-MVP of the team in a players’ vote.
He loves the uniqueness of playing at Christie Pits, where games are free, fans can sit anywhere on the slopes surrounding the diamond, and the place has an aura all its own.
“The fans here are different. The atmosphere is different,” he said. “You have that home field competitive edge on most teams because of how different Christie compares to other stadiums. It’s not a full stadium but it gets loud like a stadium, which is awesome.”
Dos Santos is currently tracking another record, one which simply involves showing up.
Last season, he was the only Leaf to play every single regular season and postseason game. This season, he has not missed a game. If he completes two 42-game regular seasons in a row, he will be the first Leafs player to achieve that record of consistency.
In a league where players have to juggle baseball along with full-time jobs, family commitments, travel, and other facts of life, this consecutive-games-played streak is notable.
“Someone mentioned last year how I played every game,” he said. “Honestly, I like to make myself available for the guys and to the ownership here as well in that they signed me on [and] they’re going to have me for as many games as I can go out there and play. I’m all in good health and happy for that and hope to keep that going.”
Dos Santos expects to keep showing up whenever and wherever the Leafs take the field.
“I don’t plan on missing any games—knock on wood—yeah that’s the goal.”
Normally an outfielder, Dos Santos has also put in playing time at third base and shortstop, whatever it takes to help the team. He also senses a culture change in the team, as the Leafs move away from being a “swing for the fences” type club, with results to show for it.
“Guys are way more bought in for playing for each other, and more quality at bats,” he said. “We’re more of a base hit type team, driving in runs rather than so many fly ball outs, and I think that’s changed the win total.”
Even if the Leafs win an elusive championship this season, Dos Santos sees himself working counts, tearing up the basepaths, and scoring more runs for years to come.
“I think I’ll stick around,” he said. “Only being 26, I’m just entering my prime and understanding of baseball.”
In addition to the action on the field, the Leafs organization continues to roll out promotions and attractions.
In late June, former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston made a guest appearance at the Pits. He signed autographs and posed for photos, and the club has confirmed he will make a return appearance later this season.
Fans and collectors now have an opportunity to grab some Leafs baseball cards. For the first time, a complete team set of cards has been released. It includes all the players, coaches, and even the club mascot. The cards are available during home games at Christie Pits and go for $20 a set.
The Leafs’ regular season continues to mid-August, followed by playoffs.
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: Sato’s debut (May/June 2025)
On May 11 at Christie Pits, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Ayami Sato is greeted by manager Rob Butler after pitching a perfect inning as the first woman to play in a men’s pro baseball league in Canada. R.S. KONJEK/GLEANER NEWS
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on SPORTS: Sato makes history with perfect debut (May/June 2025)
Largest crowd in over a decade packs Christie Pits for Leafs season opener
By R.S. Konjek
She stands on the field near third base.
Diminutive and still, she is wearing her crisp white and blue Toronto Maple Leafs baseball uniform. An arm’s length away, a dozen people lean over the fence, cameras trained, phones recording.
Ayami Sato’s face is attentive. She listens as a reporter asks a question and waits as her interpreter, Yoko van Veen, translates. She responds in Japanese, then waits again as her words are translated back. It’s a familiar routine. She has been asked many of these same questions for months.
“Why did you choose Toronto?”
“Have you played against men before?”
“Do you hope to inspire girls and women?”
She answers all the questions again. In a few moments, the questions will cease, and a new chapter of her life will begin.
It is Sunday, May 11. Opening Day at Christie Pits, and a groundbreaking new season of the Intercounty Baseball League. Last December, when the Leafs announced that they had signed Sato to play for them in 2025, it made international headlines. A star of women’s baseball in Japan, she would be the first woman in Canadian history to play professional baseball against men.
The Leafs described the signing as “a pivotal moment, inspiring future generations and redefining the boundaries of professional sports.” The Sato hype was accompanied by a newly announced Women’s Pro Baseball League that will begin play in 2026. Leafs’ ownership has a hand in that venture.
After months of hype and interviews, the moment has arrived.
Corner to corner, the Christie hillsides are carpeted with thousands of fans, friends, and curious onlookers, a crowd of this size not seen for over a decade.
Before Sato can take to the mound, she receives greetings from a collection of dignitaries gathered on the infield. Mayor Olivia Chow speaks to the excitement of the day. Japanese Consul General Ken Matsunaga expresses pride and good wishes. Councillor Dianne Saxe notes that the neighbourhood is represented by women at all levels of government: municipally, provincially and federally. Sato receives bows, a bouquet, a box of doughnuts.
It’s time to play ball. The Leafs take the field, and the Kitchener Panthers prepare to bat.
The first batter steps in. Instead of a cinematic hush descending over the park, the crowd of thousands applauds and cheers in anticipation.
Sato winds up, delivers, and is tested right away. Her first pitch is tapped back to the mound. She grabs the ball and throws to first base. Jordan Castaldo makes the catch. One pitch, one out.
The second batter grounds out. The third batter pops up, and second baseman Dan Marra catches it on the infield dirt. It’s a perfect inning for Sato, who threw just five pitches.
She’s done it. An ovation rings around the ballpark. All the questions have been lifted off Sato’s shoulders. She smiles and bounds towards the Leafs bench with her teammates. Her beaming manager Rob Butler greets her with a hug.
Having passed the first test, Sato returns to the mound in the second inning. It takes her just nine pitches to record three more outs, including a strikeout.
From the day Sato was signed, Leafs’ ownership showed unwavering confidence that she could compete in a men’s league. She has rewarded their confidence and made history in style. Two perfect innings, forever etched in time.
As usual on Opening Day, the Leafs gave most of their roster an opportunity to get into the game. Sato’s day was done after the second. With a Leafs hoodie pulled over her uniform, she spent the rest of the game in the Leafs bullpen, chatting with fans and signing autographs.
The Leafs went on to drop the game 6-5, but the Pits overflowed with positive vibes all afternoon.
The Sato sensation is undeniable. The Leafs do not track attendance, but at a glance it looked like a record crowd was at Christie Pits for the historic day.
As the season goes on, Sato will be expected to go deeper into games and help rack up wins. If her debut is any indication, the Leafs and their fans can look forward to a successful summer.
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on OPINION: Empty cars don’t buy things—people do (May/June 2025)
Proposed priority transit lanes on Bathurst will bring more shoppers
By Terri Chu
A few times a week, I take my kids about two kilometres south on Bathurst for Taekwondo. When the weather is nice, we like to go by bike, but when the weather isn’t so nice, we take transit. Lately, I have entirely given up on transit, even on the coldest of days. In addition to not dropping the $3.20 for pretty much nothing, it has been faster to walk, even with kids.
When we took transit, the app we used would show a bus arriving in a few minutes. Then the estimated arrival time would bounce back a few minutes, then a few minutes more. One day the scheduled arrival time was 4:48, and a bus finally arrived at 5:15. That was the last straw. It would have been faster and less stressful to walk. So ever since, we started walking. I have entirely given up on the Bathurst bus. It is often more than a 30-minute wait for three or four vehicles travelling in a wolf pack. Residents deserve better.
Imagine my excitement to see the city’s plans to create a transit corridor on Bathurst. The pavement currently taken up by empty cars will give way to a dedicated transit lane, giving commuters a fighting chance to get to where they need to be on time. The city plans on removing parking on either side of Bathurst to create a priority transit lane for buses (that bikes will be allowed to use). The priority lanes will be near the sidewalk north of Bloor and in the centre where the streetcar tracks already exist south of Bloor.
Most people reading this column are probably lucky enough to live close to the subway and walking is an option, but further up Bathurst is a large immigrant community completely dependent on reliable transit to get to work, school, or doctors’ offices. Many of these people do the hard work of taking care of kids too. The people of Toronto deserve reliable transit.
A luxury Lexus with nobody in it is not entitled to take up the same space as a vehicle that transports dozens of the city’s most hard-working people. The rich are not entitled to public space. This space absolutely needs to be taken back and put to better use.
There are businesses of course complaining about losing parking. Their counterparts on Bloor went through the same thing when the city first wanted to install bike lanes. Then they discovered that business went up because of increased foot traffic. It is hard to adjust a mindset based on fallacies, but the data is there. Empty cars don’t buy things; people do.
I will be boycotting any businesses organizing against this transit corridor. It reveals a narrow-minded perspective and a lack of community care. I want to support businesses that care about people, the environment, and the health of the city.
The city is seeking comments and will be hosting public meetings on the issue. Please tell them how much our community will benefit from dedicated transit lanes and do not let the empty SUVs speak for us.
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Bloor-Borden farmers’ market returns (May/June 2025)
On Wednesday, June 4, the Bloor-Borden farmers’ market returned for its 19th year. It is a beloved institution that has been nestled in the Green P parking lot on the south side of Bloor behind Crafty Coyote for nearly two decades. Helen, the driving force behind the market, can be found at the information booth every week without fail. It takes an army of volunteers to bring this market to our neighbourhood but it’s worth it. Though it is an important source of farm fresh produce, it also acts as a gathering spot for so many people in our community. It is our town square where we can catch up on the latest happenings in the neighbourhood, meet politicians willingly to get an earful, and meet people face-to-face in a world dominated by fast food delivery.
The babies who came in strollers in the first year can now vote and drink. Some have even graced the volunteer table as young volunteers. The Bloor-Borden market allows city dwellers to directly support farmers who do the important work of growing food. It ensures they can earn enough to keep their farms alive, and it gives us city folks access to the freshest food that hasn’t been sitting in a shipping container for weeks.
Rain or shine, this market will run from the first week of June until the end of October. We will be there every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. This year’s market will feature a lot of returning vendors as well as some new ones. Come grab your groceries, get a snack, and enjoy some live music. Remember to bring your reusable bags and containers. The amount of plastic our market produces has visibly reduced over the past 19 years. As a community, let’s also strive to make a no waste market.
—Terri Chu/Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: Bloor-Borden farmers’ market returns (May/June 2025)Tags:Annex · News
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Esso closes on Harbord (May/June 2025)
A dearth of downtown gas stations as Esso gas station shutters on Harbord. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
Toronto has lost another small gas station in the downtown core. Originally a repair shop with two gas pumps, 132 Harbord St. was transformed into an Esso Station after it was sold in 2020. Passersby may have noticed that a fence has recently been erected. Rory Gus Sinclair, past chair of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association, shared factors that may have contributed to the closure.
According to Sinclair, an agreement was reached after a City of Toronto committee of adjustment process. Due to its location in a residential community, the station was limited to four pumps total and the height of the canopy was restricted so that it did not obstruct the view from nearby houses. In addition, the gas station could only be open between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Perhaps surprisingly, gas stations rely heavily on sales made in their attached convenience stores.
In the case of 132 Harbord St., the site did not have sufficient space for customers to park their cars; consequently, the station depended mostly on foot traffic, further limiting revenue.
Under these constraints, the station was only able to remain open for a few years and has now gone into receivership. Sinclair said, “They went bankrupt. The company is now in what is called receivership…something else is going to go in there, and we don’t know what. It could be another gas station, but I think the lesson from this gas station is that it is not very profitable.”
While it is not yet known what the plans are for the location, it might be transformed into housing. The growing population means that when spaces like these become available, they are often used for additional housing. Paradoxically, with more people in the neighbourhood, more services should be available to meet their needs, but those still operating are gradually being lost to new residential developments.
—Elliot Barker/Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: Esso closes on Harbord (May/June 2025)Tags:Annex · News
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on NEWS: Estonian Music Week Celebrates 5th Anniversary (May/June 2025)
Madison street party took place on May 25
Canadian-Estonian turntablist and producer Erik Laar was part of Estonian Music Week’s Doors Open Toronto showcase. COURTESY TANEL TERO
By Kati Kiilaspea
Toronto, as an incredibly multicultural city, hosts so many cool, inspiring festivals throughout the year; it’s what makes the city really come alive. What better way is there to express cultural identity and pride, or learn about cultural diversity, than through live music? Estonian Music Week (EMW), based in the Annex, ran from May 22 to 25 and celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. The festival was bigger and better than ever and brought the best Estonian musicians to the Annex and nearby venues.
Performances venues included Division 88, Revival Event Venue, DROM Taberna, Innis Town Hall, St. Anne’s Parish Hall, and Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. The village party took place on Madison Avenue.
The festival kicked off with an exclusive launch party at the beautiful Gardiner Museum, right across from the ROM, on May 22. Patrons seized the chance to celebrate the festival in style and met some of this year’s artists while enjoying food and drinks.
On Sunday, May 25, we really brought the music to the heart of the Annex with a miniature street festival on Madison Avenue at Bloor Street. Our Külasimman/Village Party included a free, all-ages block party that celebrated Estonian culture with live music, singing, dancing, crafts, food, and drink. The Külasimman transported guests to the countryside, but it also celebrated the Estonian village forming in the heart of Toronto, with so many community organizations moving to this area. The event was also part of Doors Open, which celebrated the theme of “play” this year.
Following the street party, there were two great performances by celebrated Estonian musical groups. At Innis Town Hall there was a groundbreaking concert by Ensemble U: featuring an augmented reality cosmic journey set to the music of Canadian-Estonian composer Udo Kasemets. The group has been working with the music faculty at the University of Toronto and the Canadian Music Centre to develop historically informed performances of Kasemets’ works.
Some might say we saved the best for last. Grammy-winning vocal ensemble, Vox Clamantis, performed at Trinity-St. Paul’s. The audience witnessed their mastery of Gregorian chant and contemporary compositions. This special program featured works by famed Estonian composer Arvo Pärt in celebration of his 90th birthday, as well as works by Lembit Avesson and Veljo Tormis. It was perfect for those interested in Estonian classical-contemporary innovation.
The May 23 and 24 concerts were not far from the Annex. On May 23, EMW hosted a countryside dance party in the heart of the city at Revival Event Venue (783 College St.) The Estonian folk group, Curly Strings, headlined this event. They returned to Toronto for this festival because the Estonian-Canadian community voted to bring them back. What (or who) the audience wants, they get! Nordic bluegrass met Franco-Ontarian folklore, met Irish-inspired folk rock for one unforgettable night, with The Crosslegs, while Ontario’s Les Rats d’Swompe performed traditional music.
On May 24, Estonia’s leading a cappella jazz innovators, Estonian Voices, blended folk, pop, and jazz into ethereal vocal harmonies at Innis Town Hall. What better pairing for this vocal sextet from Estonia than the powerful voices and beautiful harmonies of Canada’s own Countermeasure. This event was presented in partnership with SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival.
The performance by Tuulikki Bartosik X Sander Mölder and Caracol, sculptors of folktronica soundscapes, was both minimalist and rich, emotionally resonant and sophisticated. It invited listeners to a space where folk meets electronica and new ideas emerge.
For those who felt the night was still young and wanted to keep the energy and vibes flowing, there was the twilight samurai of alternative pop, Estonia’s Mart Avi paired with Canada’s own award-winning singer, composer, producer, and builder of worlds, Katie McBride; it was a night to remember. Both concerts took place at St. Anne’s Parish Hall and were presented by Wavelength Music.
Estonian Music Week is presented by the Annex-based organizations Estonian Museum Canada and Tartu College.
