Escape to Cottage Country

Well, there’s no doubt about it…it’s cottage country time.  With scorching temperatures, maybe a few bored kids at home and some weather weary pets, we dream of cool breezes (or any breeze for that matter), blue water and an inspiring view to peacefully muse over.  Alas, not all of us have a cottage destination to escape to.  Well…actually we do.  Right in our own backyard.

Swansea is an oasis in the middle of the city – it’s cottage country, with all the amenities of being in a metropolis and not a single three hour, traffic-rammed drive in sight.  Surrounded on three sides by water –the eastern border runs along Grenadier Pond, resplendent with weeping willows, nesting swans and wildflowers; the southernmost border is only a five minute jaunt to the beaches along Lake Ontario; and the western border follows the Humber River, with views out across the city.

 

Humber River



Swansea’s character is that of its namesake, Swansea in Wales, England – dominated by lush gardens and tranquil water landscapes.  Established, officially, as the Village of Swansea in 1925, Swansea’s history is equally tranquil.  From farmers to military colonels to painters, Swansea inspires a charmed life.  Artists have always felt compelled to create here – from James Howard’s wife Jemima to the Toronto’s Group of Eleven painters to most famously Lucy Laud Montgomery who wrote her last three “Anne” novels from 210 Riverside Dr. In fact the photo to the right is a view that Lucy would have looked at from her home.  As I stood there, it was easy to understand why Swansea provided a muse for these artists. 

Sunset on Humber River,
courtesy of Swansea.ca

This nook is for grabbing a book and a flask of iced tea to while away the hours under a shady tree.  Or watch an incredible sunset while the birds dive over the water. 



Grenadier Pond



Grenadier Pond has long been an aquatic retreat for Torontonians – beginning with the Grenadier soldiers for whom it’s named.  Citizens have flocked to its green cool shores for centuries beginning with the First Nations. When the Europeans arrived, (Etienne Brule perhaps!) they dubbed it the Garden of Eden.  



Grenadier Pond, photo courtesy of Toronto Standard article,
 "Why Grenadier Pond is Called Grenadier Pond" Nov 15th, 2011



This spots dictates that you sit yourself down on a picnic blanket, throw a line in and snooze with your cap over your eyes till you get a bite.  

  And then of course, there is the amazing beach along Lake Ontario – which rivals in my opinion any other ‘Beach’ in the city (and is also part of the International Blue Flag program too!  For beach quality on the day of your trip, visit Sunnyside Beach Swimming Conditions.)  On this huge expanse of white sand, you can’t help but feel you’re strolling along an old classic summer boardwalk movie – daisy studded bathing caps and surfboards would be fitting.  Sunnyside is a place to make the biggest sandcastles you can and play in the waves to wash off melted popsicles.

'''Photographer:''' Me, Leslie Mateus, a user of the portuguese wikipedia. *'''Date:''' August 28th 2005 *'''Description:''' View of the Sunnyside Park, Wester beaches, Toronto, Ontario, looking west.

Photograph of Owen Staples, RCA,
painting at Sunnyside Beach in 1907

 So when you’re feeling the need to slow down, sit by the water and enjoy this gorgeous summer before the harsh winds of a Canadian winter strike once again – look no further than your own backdoor and head to Swansea.  A day in cottage country is just the thing.

Mountain Bike Speak in Sunnyside

Language is an amazing thing for many reasons and I’ve always had a deep appreciation for it.  Today I added a new language to my repertoire – I’m going to call it MBS – Mountain Bike Speak.  Truthfully, I set out to learn more about the new Sunnyside Bike Park being built in our area and got a little sidetracked by the new features - it has garnered plenty of enthusiasm and excitement.  Features will include: a Skills Zone, a Pumptracks area, a Jump Line zone, and Drop and Wall Ride area.  At a loss, I realized I’d have to delve a little deeper.

So we’ll start at the beginning.  The course which will take over a currently unused area between the Gardiner Expressway and Lakeshore; running between Ellis Ave and Colborne Lodge Drive – is being designed by one of the most internationally acclaimed bike park designers, Jay Hoots.  Jay Hoots is a Canadian mountain biker who’s ridden with the Norco Team for years – he describes his discipline as Dirt Jump and FreeRide, and is a self- (and publicly) proclaimed  Mountain Bike Advocate.  When Jay’s not on a bike, he’s thinking about bike courses.  HOOTS INC. is an accomplished Skills park and trail design/build company, with over 30 of its bike parks all over the globe.

What’s interesting about these bike parks is they have a deep connection with sustainability and nature.  Bikers enjoy nature as much as any hiker and use their trails with respect.  So the really good news for all of us non-bikers, is that a previously unused, rather unsightly , stuck-between-two-highways space is going to not only keep the plants, grass and trees already there, but be beautified even more and turned into a really amazing park for bikers of all skills.  And the current “unofficial” bike park in the woods of High Park, will be given back to the chipmunks.

There has been a lot of consideration given to who is going to use this park – there will be an area for everybody – experts to beginners, trick riders to riders with kids in trail-a-bikes.  Hoots Inc. has designed the park to allow for groups of different skill levels to ride together without traffic issues. 

“The Sunnyside Bike Park incorporates a series of different areas that provide specific ride opportunities but everything can tie together. The park has a pump track zone, Huge jump zone, Wall ride, Drop Zones and elevated ladder rides with skinnies.  There is a perimeter trail that gets you from section to section or you can just hang out and pull a trail-a-bike with the kids. I tried to keep as many trees as possible and we will be planting more so the park with have lots of shade. I am trying some new concepts with tying advanced and intermediate lines together with some beginner stuff so that everyone can ride together but not have cross traffic issues. I think I have a precedent-setting number of lines and the park is going to really provide huge opportunity for riders to create all sorts of new lines…awesome!”  – Jay Hoots

Now let me translate…or rather Hoots Inc. translates for us:

“A ‘Skills Zone’ is the welcome mat to mountain biking and offers opportunity for riders of all ages on all types of bikes to learn and practice bike handling in a planned safe natural environment that allows Skills succession through progression based features that are all within a dynamic self taught environment.”

“Pump Track Zone” is an area filled with small rolling hills where kids can simply have fun riding over them or a spot where riders can figure out how to gain momentum from pumping and make it over all the hills without actually pedalling.

A Jumpline area is exactly that – a series of different level jumps on a trail (also called a “line” in MBS) for the bikers to use; and a Drop and Wall ride area is literally a section where bikers can learn to drop down onto a line or ride a bike up a wall and back down again. 

The beauty of all of these features is that avid mountain bikers want to learn how to do these things safely and skilfully; and to be able to do so on a course of this calibre, will provide an amazing service to our community.  So not only do we have some serious cool factor added to our neighbourhood, but also a beautiful park– including a drop off area, restrooms and shady benches (if you’d rather watch than ride) and all in a place where there was once nothing.

And let’s face it - it’s got us all a little stoked! (Mountain Bike Speak for pretty excited!)

For pictures of the new park, you can view the PDF.  For even more information on Jay Hoots and Hoots Inc, you can visit their websites.

Locomotion and The Junction

I’ve been pondering the Junction for a few weeks now.  Mainly because there is this fascinating myriad of the arts which all come together here, this street art installation of locomotive wheels caught my eye.  It sits nonchalantly, on the sidewalk, just ‘being.”  But being what?  

Photo Courtesy of Nick Pavlov:
Locomotive Wheels in the Junction



In trying to define what impression it leaves me with, I went to my favourite dictionary and started looking up various words that came to mind when I thought of “The Junction.” 

My two favourite words to describe this neighbourhood are “eclectic” and “artistic”.  Let’s look at those -- “eclectic” means: “Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.” And “artistic” is defined as: “Having or revealing natural creative skill” or “of, relating to, or characteristic of art or artistry.”  If you’ve ever explored the Junction, I think you’ll agree that these words are synonymous with the spirit of this Toronto West end nook.  It’s like all the arts and history and cultures of Toronto seem to coalesce here…

Then it dawned on me – The Junction is perfectly described by what everybody else is already calling it… The word “junction” literally means a point where two or more things are joined and/or a place where two or more roads or railroad lines meet.

Old Weston Rd. Bridget, The Junction, July 28th, 1920
Arthur S. Goss/City of Toronto Archives

The history of this area is incredibly varied - from holding the first Queen’s Plate on William Conway Keele’s privately owned racetrack to being deemed a full official Port of Entry to being one of the longest standing ‘dry’ neighbourhoods in Toronto.  From bicycles to textiles to pianos to livestock, the manufacturing history of this area is equally colourful.  Italian, Polish, Macedonian, Croatian, Maltese, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese – the Junction is a true global village.



Map showing the racetrack (1878 Historical Atlas of York County, Ontario)



 From booms to busts, it’s no wonder that the art and style of this neighbourhood has such an incredible feel.  The Junction’s annual art festival is a testament to both its history and diversity.  New, chic restaurants are popping up all over (now that that Prohibition thing has finally passed) and manufacturing warehouses are being converted to true loft style living.  Antique shops and edgy art galleries are side by side. 

Dave LeBlanc (The Architourist) of the Globe and Mail writing an article in October, 2009, toured the area with local history expert David Wencer.  He wrote “Once a gritty railroad town, it was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1909 and remained under the real estate radar for nine decades as a place with “a fierce, independent spirit,” says Mr. Wencer.  Since the late 1990s, however, the secret's been out as artists looking for cheap studio space and bargain-hunting hipster couples discover its rough charm.”  Now some 14 odd years later, those artists and hipster couples have rejuvenated this forgotten gem, polishing it into a truly unique, wonderful area.

Photo Courtesy of JunctionArtsFest.com

Every generation of artists, usually respond to the generation before.  For example, Romanticism was answered with Modern Art; Realism was answered by Impressionism, and so on.  The Junction’s rather subdued, transient phase is being answered by a fresh, individualistic style which embraces is varied history and cherishes it. This is where my photo of the locomotive wheels comes in – it’s easy to romanticize the history of this marvellous neighbourhood and only look at the rosy moments, but true artistry accepts the harder parts of life as well.  To see a set of locomotive wheels in a street art installation is a nod to the past and all that it has contributed to this junction, making The Junction a true living work of art.

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." -- Winston Churchill

As a general rule, I’d say most of us are not great with change in our neighbourhoods – we can handle the small stuff, say a new store here or there or a neighbour’s updates to their front porch.  But introduce larger changes and we all get a little uncomfortable.

1844 Bloor St. West Rendering, courtesy of Daniels Corp.

The proposed new building at 1844 Bloor St. West has brought some controversy along with it.  People are uncomfortable with the 14 storeys, worried it will block sunlight from yards and not fit in with our more quaint architecture.  Parking is already difficult, homeowners are stressing over more cars fighting for spaces.  And parents are concerned about more traffic and children’s safety while playing outdoors.  Renters are concerned about fewer rental properties.



Laying track at Dundas and Keele streets in 1912. Photo credits: Archives Toronto



If we could go back in time, I’m absolutely positive we would hear our 1910 predecessors complaining about store fronts being built on previous farmland or how their neighbour’s house was being built too close to their own.  In the 1950’s, folks probably complained about some of the walk-ups being built.  And we already know that in the 1970’s we were worried about the subway and the strip malls taking our customers away from our shops (hence the birth of our Bloor West BIA, one of the oldest in Canada.) 

And yet, we love, love, love our neighbourhood today – believing in some fashion that it’s at its best right now, no changes required.  But our neighbourhood has evolved over many generations to meet the needs of its inhabitants.  It is important to remember that change can bring good things to our village, as it has in the past.

More affordable housing for those young couples starting out would be great – it seems unfair that only a few generations ago, every young couple starting out could have a home of their own.  More daycare spaces in our area are not only desirable, but necessary.  As we are the Sandwich Generation, a new, one level, maintained apartment close by, for our aging parents would certainly make life easier.  And although it’s not quite as bad as the States, we have to face the fact that there are those of us who may need to downsize our living space due to economic difficulties but desperately want to stay in our beloved High Park.

I get it.  Fourteen storeys seem like a lot.  But the reality is that the building is exceeding many of the city’s standards – in a very positive fashion.  And the Daniels Corporation also took our feedback seriously. 

Here is some information for you to ponder:

·         Rentals:

o        The building will house a minimum 14 rental units consisting of one and two bedroom units and will have rents no higher than the mid-range limit as defined in the City's Official Plan. These units will be secured as rental housing for a minimum of 20 years.  This replaces the 16 rental units previously on this site.

·         Safety:

o        The loading/service entrance has been redesigned; the driveway and service area changed in an effort to minimize the appearance of a public lane and to slow traffic movement along the service lane. The lane now has a curve and is screened from Pacific Avenue.

o        All signage and warning requirements dictated by the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic School Board have been met.

·         Parking:

o        The building will have 274 parking spaces, plus 2 Green Share spaces (for things like Zip Car i.e. vehicle sharing), plus additional parking for the retail area. Plus visitor parking.  These meet the city’s requirements for parking in new builds.

o        At the last community meeting I attended, the local city officials said they were committed to solving the street parking issues – which definitely falls to the city as their responsibility.

·         Appearances:

o        Sun and Wind – studies were conducted and the results determined that there would be minimal impact on sunlight in neighbouring areas.  Despite that, the Daniels Corporation actually purchased additional surrounding land to increase the buffer between the building and the neighbouring properties to exceed the city standards.  Appropriate landscaping, which we will be able to participate in, will be done to mitigate any concerns around wind.

o        A Public committee has been formed to provide input on the finishes of the building; glazing has been significantly reduced and more stone features have been included to adapt the building to the local architecture. 

o        Permeable paving and green materials are being used to beautify the area.  The building is actually a LEED Tier 2 i.e. higher than it needs to be) which is entirely voluntary for the builder.  For more information on LEED, click here.

o        All FLAP standards have been met (FLAP are the bird friendly guidelines around lighting in buildings.) For more information on FLAP, click here.

·         Storeys:

o        It is proposed to be 14 storeys at its tallest point.  Because of the community’s concerns, the 14 storey section of the building has been moved to the back of the lot to join the other existing multi-storey apartment buildings in the area (up to 31 storeys I might add) while the courtyard and retail shops will face onto Bloor St. The courtyard was increased in order to soften the edges and make sure it was as nice a place to stroll as the rest of Bloor West Village.

Now that we’ve looked at some of the worries we’ve had – let’s look at some of those positives…the things folks haven’t been talking about.

·         Daycare:

• There is a proposed Daycare/Nursery stand-alone building at the rear of the site, solely for said use. The High Park neighbourhood is deficient in day care spaces.  Options including not-for-profit, City-operated, and for-profit child care have been discussed throughout the process.

• The current development proposes a 650 square metre (almost 7000 sq ft for us non-metric babies) daycare with an outdoor space, parking and drop-off areas.

• More Affordable Housing:
• The average cost (looking over the past 6 years) of a semi attached home in High Park is easily $750K.  Based on a little general research (no verified figures) you’re probably looking at a starting price in and around $475 to $525K for these units.
• Art

• The city requires the builder to commission a public art piece for the area at a cost of 1% of the entire building structure cost.  We all know how High Park loves art!

·                     Parks and Community Support

o        The Daniels Corporation is also required by the city to contribute a staggering 1.5 million dollars to Ward 13 Parkdale–High Park for local parks, streetscapes or non-profit childcare facilities. 

o        Another $15 000 has to be given over for the High Park Straw Bale Teaching Kitchen - part of The High Park Children’s Garden (a 2009 David Suzuki Digs My Garden Contest award winner).  For more information on the High Park Straw Bale Teaching Garden, click here.

It seems to me that the change we’re looking at here has a lot of positives.  It is always imperative that we look to the future, and we of course, want to maintain our lovely neighbourhood.  But we also have to let it grow and meet the needs of a changing world.  Those who came before us did – equally carefully, paying attention to detail and the greater good. 

While I appreciate that getting used to a 14 storey building at 1844 Bloor St West may take some doing – the absolute truth of the matter is that the area has been designated long ago, by those we elected, as an Apartments Designation.  The building is allowed to be there…and the builders are really trying to make this change as positive an experience as possible, when they really don’t have to. 

For me the positives outweigh the negatives.  Change can be hard – but as Winston Churchill said “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”  And my goodness, look at the building issues he had to deal with…

*to review all documents pertaining to 1844 Bloor St. West, visit

http://www.1844bloorstreetwest.com/index.html ; these were the sources for the building information, as well as a public meeting I attended on March 1^st, 2012.

How Sweet It Is! An Update on the High Park Zoo Closure

One would certainly expect a foundation called The Honey Family Foundation to be as sweet as its namesake, and for us, they are!

In my last post around the closure of our beloved High Park Zoo, I had hoped that we would rally and try and save the zoo and our citizens have indeed done that! The zoo has already raised $40,380 through online donations, community fundraisers and donations from zoo-goers, which will allow it to stay open until June.  But in an announcement on Monday evening, The Honey Family Foundation offered to match donations to the zoo fund of up to $50,000.



Photo: Save the Zoo by Francis Wallace, The Toronto Star



And furthermore, whatever funds we raise over 2013 and 2014 will also be matched up to $50 000.  What I find particularly inspiring about this donation is the spirit behind it.  It is a ‘wise’ gift – as long as we care about our zoo, and continue to support it and raise funds for it over the next two years (enough time I might add to get our zoo back into the city budget!), we can count on this money.  It lifts up our efforts and pushes them forward – as opposed to simply eliminating the problem altogether and allowing us to ‘forget’ our responsibility to uphold those things we claim dear.

 

I did try to find out a little about the Honey Family Foundation, I thought for sure there’d be a website somewhere for their organization but there’s not a lot to be found – there’s an Esther Honey Foundation in the Cook Islands who run a voluntary veterinary clinic – oddly enough – and they had this picture (to the right) on their website…

It seems our donation has come from a “quiet, local” group of citizens and that’s pretty much all we know.  No need for a ceremony with a cheque or a name on a plaque at the gates or a photo session with the new baby llama (born April 3^rd at our zoo).  Just a good old fashioned helping hand and nothing expected in return.

I’d like my thanks to be loud and clear.

We still have some work to do!  Contributions must be made through the city’s Parks and Trees Donations Account by June 15^th in order to be matched by the Honey Family Foundation. Let’s keep going!

Click here to make a donation: Toronto Parks and Trees Organization - Donations to High Park Zoo

 

HIGH PARK PLAYGROUND BURNED DOWN...

As I’m sure everyone’s heard, on Saturday March 17th, at about 3 a.m., police and fire were called to the High Park Jamie Bell playground – our local “castle”.  Unfortunately, by the time the fire was spotted and crews arrived, the playground was completely engulfed and as a result has been destroyed.

 Courtesy of CityNews viewer Daniel Marin

 Largely built of wood, I can only imagine that it went up in flames incredibly quickly.  There have been some folks who say it should have been built with different materials – certainly metal or stone would have prevented its demise.  But where’s the whimsy in that?  Jamie Bell was inspired by soft whimsical play structures seen in the U.S. – the designers of these playgrounds, Leathers and Associates from New York came to Toronto and met with our residents, basing the design on what parents and kids wanted.  Wood was soft, natural and also largely donated, and so wood it was.  Stone makes for a great foundation, excellent for building a playground or house on…but not so much a slide or swing set per say.

Jamie Bell Playground - photo courtesy of HighParkToronto.com

The Jamie Bell Playground was originally built in 1998, by a huge group of volunteers – almost 3000.  It was a true testament of our desire to build up our community – people would volunteer for short shifts and stay for hours longer.  So much food was donated by local folks for the working volunteers, that they set up army tents to house it all.  And since completion, it has been a place for many magical play days for High Park kids and kids from all across the city.  

We all know accidents happen – folks often play with things they shouldn’t – unfortunately investigators have determined that it was arson.  Deliberate…  Planned…  There is something sinister about setting fire to a children’s playground.  So not only has our playground been lost, our sense of neighbourhood ‘self’ has been compromised.  Playgrounds can be rebuilt – can we rebuild our social foundation of safety and security?

In the nine days since the fire, the community has risen up and come forward to rebuild the playground, standing proudly on the foundation built many years ago.  Canadian Tire has committed $50 000 to help with the cost.  Local unions, firefighters and construction crews have volunteered with tools, labour and time.  The original designers of the playground are rumoured to be committed to helping redesign the structure and add new features if the community wants to.  A Facebook Page has already been built to help promote and organize the rebuild.

http://www.facebook.com/FireInHighParkCastleLetsHelpToRebuild

And Landscape Ontario has promised $300,000 in parts, design, and labour to rebuild the playground. The organization made the announcement at a community meeting last night.

It seems we are determined not to let this crime take away from what we know our community to be – strong and safe.   “We’ve built it once and we’ll build it again” and “We can’t let ‘them’ win” are the two phrases I keep hearing over and over again.  The playground was built with the strength, love and commitment of this community the first time – and I have no doubt that it will be again -- because High Park’s citizens are made of sterner stuff. And our High Park foundation is made of stone.

Good News Updates – “Police have made an arrest in connection with a suspected arson at Toronto's High Park playground earlier this month.  A 19-year-old man is facing charges of arson and obstruction of justice after the Jamie Bell Adventure Playground was destroyed in the early morning hours of March 17.”


As of March 30th, the Star reported the City was stalling and potentially jeopardizing community efforts to rebuilt the playground in time for summer.   The article started with the following "The city says it can’t immediately accept a $300,000 offer to improve the site of the beloved High Park castle playground...".

High Park is the crown jewel of Toronto's park system and vital to the many neighbourhoods which surround it. There is no excuse for any delay when there is a private offer of $300,000 on the table, and the expertise to complete the task.

The article which was in the Star, can be found here:

http://www.thestar.com/news/cityhallpolitics/article/1154569--offer-of-a-300-000-new-high-park-playground-stumbles-at-city-hall

It Takes A Village...To Keep A Zoo

Everyone is talking about the 2012 Toronto Budget.  There’s a lot to talk about.  However the budget impacts a significant piece of our High Park history – the High Park Zoo.

When looking at the list of cuts, it struck me as ironic that not only is one of Toronto’s oldest, free attractions being shut down (for a mere $114 000 annual savings) – it’s that most people didn’t even know it was at risk.  How could it be?  How could it even end up on the list with the history it has?  It’s survived two world wars and the Great Depression, but not the 2012 Toronto Budget cuts.

  

The High Park Zoo is a special treat for most folks visiting the park and is deeply historical, established in 1890 for the park’s deer.  It sees almost 100 000 people a year. The zoo now holds several content, cold-loving species including bison, llamas, yaks, sheep, Highland cattle, and of course, the deer. The Howard Family’s condition of conveyance was that the City hold the park "for the free use, benefit and enjoyment of the Citizens of Toronto…” which has served all of us living near High Park very well.  Not only do we get to enjoy our beautiful park, but it brings visitors from all over to our businesses.  And makes our real estate very attractive!

At a cost of only $114 000 per year to run, minus the cost savings on fertilizer (you can guess where all the fertilizer for the High Park greenhouses comes from…very eco-friendly), it seems sad that something so sweetly reminiscent of Toronto’s older days is facing closure in less than 5 months. Riverdale Farm in Cabbagetown faced losing its $500 000 city funding in the 2012 budget – its residents heard about the closure and rallied to save it.  Can we?  Why haven’t we? Why didn’t we know about it?

This is a symbol of a larger issue – the beauty and uniqueness of our city, is dependent on what we deem as important.  The ‘little’ things that make our area warm and friendly, clean and beautiful are the things that are going: Wintercity outdoor programming, street cleaning, visitor centres in long term care facilities, tree maintenance, flower and shrub planting and yes, even management of the Christmas Bureau which distributes Christmas gifts to needy children. 

Remember the old cliché, “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child?” Well, in this case it takes a village to keep a zoo.  We need these services. The zoo needs to stay.  So do the Christmas gifts, flowers and trees; and coffee with friends in long term care. It’s part of what makes our village, a village.