HVRA lane-naming project leads to The Postman In March of 2015 the Gleaner featured coverage of the pending play, The Postman, that was staged on neighbourhood porches in the summer of that year. The Harbord Village event commemorated the life and times of Albert Jackson, Canada’s first black postie. On the occasion of Canada Post […]

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Faculty Club building once home to Primrose Club By Annemarie Brissenden and Ahmed-Zaki Hagar Blue martinis, operatic voices, and fabulous food marked the University of Toronto Faculty Club’s grand reopening of its historic Wedgwood Ballroom on September 25. Formerly known as the club’s dining room, the space was renovated over the summer and has been […]

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Exploring the roots of Korea Town By Annemarie Brissenden A heritage tour of Toronto’s Korea Town starts — as it should — at the Bloor Street United Church of Canada, once home to the Alpha Korean United Church. Founded in 1967 when there were just over 200 Koreans living in Toronto, it’s the oldest Korean […]

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Jaime Black’s REDress Project has inspired three churches along Bloor Street to show their solidarity with those seeking redress for Canada’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In 2014, the Métis artist created an art installation at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg that featured red dresses as symbols of the missing […]

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The bats are back. The Maple Leafs are swinging once more in Dominico Field at Christie Pits, and marked the 100th anniversary of the Intercounty Baseball League with a home opening 10-6 win over the London Majors on May 6. The Leafs, which have won five games to two this season, play every Sunday and […]

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The buzzer sounded for the last time until the leaves fall at William H. (Bill) Bolton Arena (40 Rossmore Rd.), near Bathurst and Dupont streets. The arena has been closed for mechanical upgrades, and all of its skating programs are cancelled until October. Some other options for skating and hockey while the arena is closed […]

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A dissenter makes his case By Annemarie Brissenden Do bike lanes make cycling inherently safer? That question was up for debate at January’s Grounds for Thought, which runs the last Tuesday of every month at the Green Beanery at Bloor and Bathurst streets. With free coffee on offer, Grounds for Thought is an homage to […]

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A celebratory year in review By Annemarie Brissenden Is it possible that we just like cake? Because it seems that we just couldn’t stop celebrating this year. Maybe all the calamity outside our borders made our small local victories all that sweeter. But from bike lanes to major anniversaries to plaque unveilings to greener parks, […]

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Former Gleaner writer publishes novel Former Gleaner writer Gillian Best has published her debut novel. The Last Wave (House of Anansi Press) tells the story of Martha, a woman who has swum the English Channel ten times. As she navigates complex relationships with husband, children, and close friends, the sea remains the one constant in […]

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Nurturing unexplored and unexpressed talent By Annemarie Brissenden At a time when women had neither the right to vote nor access to much education, Mary Ella Dignam founded the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC). By all accounts a singular woman with a singular vision, Dignam wanted the association to be a place that nurtured […]

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Cycle Toronto has launched a new program aimed at boosting business on Bloor Street. Pick up a “Bike and Buy: Tour de Bloor Passport” from Cycle Toronto and have it stamped every time you eat or shop at one of 73 participating businesses between Avenue Road and Shaw Street. Passport-holders will be entered in a […]

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Exhibition features musical memorabilia By Annemarie Brissenden It was a grand opening for a grand old dame. Approximately 45 community members, music aficionados, and company dignitaries celebrated the transformation of Brunswick House from a notorious student dive bar into a boutique flagship drugstore when Rexall/Pharma Plus officially opened Rexall Brunswick on Bloor Street West late […]

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