Featured News
Amid 865 trees coming down, Province releases 95-year lease with Therme
Under cover of darkness, Infrastructure Ontario began the removal of 865 trees at Ontario Place on the evening of Wednesday, October 2, 2024. Within a single day, workers had cut down the vast majority of those trees.
The work—which includes the removal of every single tree on the western portion of the waterfront site adjacent downtown Toronto—is part of the approximately $200-million in site preparations that taxpayers are funding to prepare the land for Therme, an Austrian spa company, to develop a stadium-sized indoor waterpark on the site. See before and after photos.
The next day, October 3, the Province released the details of its 95-year lease with Therme, which journalists and grassroots organizations have…
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Say bye to Starbucks
Europe’s urban advantage leaves us in the shade
Every time I come home from a trip to Europe, I feel a little ashamed. Ashamed and perplexed. Why is everything so much better over there? The parks, the public transit, the highways, the squares, the museums – even the garbage bins are better than ours.
Arriving in Toronto, where I live, feels like crossing into the East Bloc from the West during the Cold War. Everything looks so shabby. The main route into downtown from the airport is in scandalous shape. Rusting guardrails. Garbage and weeds on the shoulders. Potholes and bumps. The inbound drive along the Gardiner Expressway is like a ride on a decrepit roller coaster…
Dog Off-Leash Areas – have your say
Toronto’s Dog Off-Leash Areas (OLAs) play a vital role in our community. They’re not just spaces for our furry friends to frolic; they’re hubs of social interaction, exercise, and shared experiences. However, they can also create noise disturbances and impact the park experience for other users.
The city of Toronto is conducting a review of Dog Off-Leash areas to try and better balance these impacts, and your input is important.
Digging up the past for future benefit: the lost waterways of Toronto
ABCRA’s own “lost brook” had an important role in shaping our neighbourhood.
Seven new ‘supertall’ buildings are coming to Toronto — is that a good thing?
Toronto could soon have the fifth highest number of mixed-use residential supertalls in the world, alongside cities like NYC and Hong Kong.
The supertalls, defined as being more than 300 metres tall by global non-profit Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), have divided housing observers.
Avenue Road improvements – Interim Streetscape Improvement Strategies
ABCRA commissioned the Planning Partnership to produce a study to provide recommendations for near term improvements with a lifespan of approximately 10-15 years, which constitute the interim condition for the Avenue Road streetscape, until such time as the final condition can be constructed.
Create a paradise for bees and butterflies
As our minds turn to Spring and the garden here are some ideas to help you help nature.
1134-1140 Yonge Street – Proposed Development Re-Submission
At the ABCRA & Community Planning meeting on February 26, 2024, and again at our meeting on April 02, 2024, it was revealed that the developer for 1134-1140 Yonge Street has approached community planning with a request for an additional 3 floors, and is planning to submit a proposal through the Committee of Adjustment.
A 3-floor addition constitutes a 33% height increase and we believe should not be considered minor. We believe that the developer is manipulating the planning system to get around the LPAT settlement and increase the height of the project in a way that protects them from further appeal.
Toronto can learn from Hoboken and make Avenue Road safe
The death of an 89-year-old pedestrian in 2017 was the last straw for the mayor of Hoboken, N.J. ““I felt it wasn’t acceptable.” Hoboken, New Jersey hasn’t had a traffic fatality in 7 years.
Running below one of Toronto’s most historic neighbourhoods, the pathway located on the south side of the road can be followed from Park Road to Bayview Avenue.
Events & Public Meetings
Scrivener Underpass Mural Project
LAUNCH CELEBRATION
Wednesday, October 2, 2024, noon to 2 p.m.
Meet at south side of LCBO(10 Scrivener Sq.)
Live music by Elyssa Plaza + Bellosound
Come celebrate the Scrivener Underpass Mural by local artist Zuna Amir. Meet Zuna and her team of artists!