News

George Baird – City Builder and Good Neighbour

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George Baird standing

George Baird made a significant contribution to Canadian architecture and during that impressive career also found time to be a good neighbour. 

In the early 2000s when the City removed the Yorkville North Midtown Secondary Plan from the new Official Plan, George offered to assist the ABC Resident’s Association with the development of Site and Area Specific Policy 211. This policy, later adopted by City Council, has been the key policy to help us improve the quality of development in the neighbourhood.

How safe is Yorkville?

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Yorkville area street

The alarming surge in break-ins in Toronto this year, up by a staggering 20 per cent, was grimly exemplified by a recent incident where a man unlawfully entered a midtown Toronto home and lingered for hours, only to be confronted by its occupants.

Distracted drivers at Avenue Rd. & Davenport

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Distracted driver holding cell phone while driving

Toronto police officer stops 3 distracted drivers — all on their cellphones — at the same time.On Monday afternoon, Toronto police officer Kirk Papadopoulos was parked on a curbside near Avenue Road and Davenport Road in his unmarked car when he stopped three distracted drivers within the span of about 30 seconds.

ABCRA responds to City on Noise Bylaw Review

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Motorcycle crossing crosswalk

ABCRA has participated in many iterations of the Noise By-Law review, and was a member of the Noise Working Group (“NWG”) process and has attended all meetings in the lead up to the 2019 Noise By-Law review. The livability of the City is being eroded by excessive unrestricted noise and a lack of enforcement for the rules that we do have.

Toronto is getting a new bridge and the designs are stunning

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Salmon Run - Keating Channel Bridge design

The public got its first taste of Toronto’s planned Keating Channel Pedestrian Bridge design competition last week when a group of five shortlisted concepts were presented, revealing some impressive possibilities for the new pedestrian link. The link between the city’s Quayside district and the new system of parks, public spaces, and future development lands is a key element in the area’s connectivity plan.

Ready, set, plant! City of Toronto opens applications for its PollinateTO Grants

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Applications are now open for the City of Toronto’s PollinateTO Grants program. Through the program, the City offers grants of up to $5,000 to support community-led initiatives that result in the creation or expansion of pollinator habitat on public and private lands in Toronto. A priority will be placed on funding projects in Toronto’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.

City of Toronto to launch a pothole and bike lane repair blitz

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pothole in need of repair

Tomorrow, the City of Toronto will begin this year’s sixth pothole repair blitz to keep the City’s expressways, major roads and neighbourhood streets in a state of good repair. City crews will work a 12-hour shift, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., to repair as many potholes as possible.

Does Toronto have a dog problem?

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Dogs on leash

With a rise in attacks — and tensions — some say the rules to keep everyone safe aren’t working. We love our dogs, but our parks are under strain. Off-leash dogs abound and bites are rising. Can the city enforce its way to a better coexistence?