Archive for September, 2025

Captain Hawley and others

Posted: September 12, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, stores
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below: This lane was recently named for William Hawley, a retired Toronto firefighter and Leslieville resident.

sign for Captain Hawley lane, with new third and fourth floor additions to a building in the background

Captain Hawley lane runs north from Eastern towards Queen St East.  It is west of Leslie Street.  There are a few other little alleys in the vicinity all of which seem to be unnamed.  This blog post shows some of the things seen in these alleys as well as on the major streets around them, Queen, Leslie, and Eastern.

below: Elicser Elliott’s Leslieville mural still looks great at Queen & Jones.

young man crossing Queen Street near Leslieville mural, and beside a TTC streetcar

Leslieville mural

below: “Community” by Candace Bell on Queen East

painting on sidewalk traffic box, in front of store, on Queen Street East

below: Who is the photographer?

a camera is set up on a tripod, on the sidewalk outside a cafe, man sitting on chair nearby, another man sitting too

workman in hard hat and work boots, spray painting a line on the pavement, street,

below: Stores on Queen East.

stores on Queen Street east

below: Northeast corner of Larchmount and Queen East.

intersection of Larchmount and Queen Street East , northeast corner

queen street east, north side

below: Photo taken on a day when gas was $1.43 a litre, albeit full service which you don’t find everywhere these days.

sun gas services station on queen street east

below: An afternoon break on a patio.

woman on patio of duke tavern, red building with mural on the side, white umbrellas,

below: Waiting to get into the Duke, Men’s Entrance

mural, line up of men wanting to enter the duke tavern, men's entrance, plus a boy sitting on the steps outside

mural, line up of men wanting to enter the duke tavern

below: Leslie and Queen East south side,

glass of bus shelter, with Leslie St sign on it, people walking on sidewalk, front of Shish restaurant on Queen Street, construction on southeast corner of Leslie and Queen in the background

below: Construction on the east side of Leslie – one of countless large holes in the ground.

workmen talking, construction site, Leslie street at Memory Lane

below: Houses on Leslie, south of Memory Lane.

houses, Leslie Street and Memory Lane,

below: A house with a bright turquoise front door and another that is now taller and skinnier.

row of houses on leslie street, one has a bright turquoise front door and the one beside it has had a third storey added to it

below: 27 Leslie Street

small blue building at 27 Leslie Street

below:  Non-believers on top – “No Truth to it!” over “Jesus saith unto him…. “.

Note on pole that says, but someone ha written over it, no truth to this

toronto street sign for eastern avenue, on a pole covered with vine and ivy

below: On Eastern, the AMCO gas station is now closed because of a recent fire.

gas station on Eastern ave, scene of a recent fire

men boarding up burned out gas station
AMCO gas station on Eastern ave, scene of a recent fire, with backs of houses beside it

below: “Navalny” and “Text” by Nigel Smith

text street art by Nigel Smith, on old office building, two signs, one says text and the other says Navalny

below: There is still a large vacant lot on the south side of Eastern Avenue (with views towards the Port Lands)

temporary building structures on a large vacant lot
no trespassing sign on fence surrounding a large vacant lot on Eastern Avenue

… and now the laneway scenes …..

below: Starting with the now  ubiquitous laneway garden suite

new infill house development in a lane

low burlap barrier draped across an alley, repairs being made to the concrete and pavement behind the barrier

a large billboard on Eastern avenue, with advert for second cup coffee shop, summer drinks

below: These  houses  with the square-ish shapes at the back are disappearing as more and more home owners renovate and/or expand upwards.  Brick is no longer the cladding of choice (and hasn’t been for a long time).

back of house, alley view, square red brick two storey house, one window, wood fence

alley views, back of two semi detached houses, that share a chimney, one green siding and one one white siding

white camper of RV parked behind house, goldenrod weeds growing by the back door.

back of house, alley view, painted wood fence, lots of trees

vines growing on overhead wires, over a lane, with garages along the sides of the alley

back of house, alley view, wood fence, white sun umbrella, grey cover on barbecue

back of house, alley view, white house, white van parked behind, green wood fence

backyard alley view, back of newly renovated house, expanded, fence down at back, bags of yard waste

backyard alley views, old tire, trash bins, rooftop terrace with umbrella

small red car parked in a lane, line of garages, tall trees,

backyard alley view, overgrown grass and shrubs, hard to see the house, chainlink fence and gate

backyard alley view, lots of stuff, including a shopping cart full of basketballs and soccer balls, chairs, sheets and clothes hanging from a yellow rope clothes line

chainlink fence, old painted wood, rusty metal, latch, gate in an alley

red gate in an alley, with black line drawing on it, locked, latch,

old plywood on a fence, once painted red, now faded to slightly orange red, with dirt splotches and worn areas, texture, pattern, abstract

 

Sunlight shining – Biidaasige – and Lookout too.

Posted: September 6, 2025 in construction, locations, nature, waterfront
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A new park in the Port Lands has opened.  Biidaasige Park.  Biidaasige translates to “sunlight shining towards us”.

new mouth of the Don River, flowing into Lake Ontario, through Biidaasige Park on toronto eaterfront, toronto city downtown in the background

It is centered around the new mouth of the Don River, with lots of walking and cycling paths that wind along the shores and through the newly planted shrubs, trees, and other native plants.

north end of new yellow bridge in the portlands, over the Don River, with walking trail along the river, Lafarge cement in the background

newly planted trees along path in biidaasige park, with toronto downtown in the background

a mother pushing a stroller walks on path n biidaasige park, toronto skyline and highrises in the background,

There is also a large playground where plenty of adventures await!

two white scottie dogs, scottish terriers, at playground at biidaasige park

kids on a zip line at biidaasige park

How many animals can you spot?

playground structure made of old logs, looks like a beaver dam, with wood sculptures of beavers on top

large wood playground structure in the shape of a raccoon

large wood playground structure in the shape of a raccoon

boy jumping off a large wood carving painted to look like a giant eagle, biidaasige park playground

large white wood play structure in the shape of a snowy owl

large white wood play structure in the shape of a snowy owl, in a playground

cyclists on path, biidaasige park, beside raccoon play structure

group of people using the new grills, barbecues, at biidaasige park

walking and biking path through biidaasige park towards red bridge on commissioners street

Don River flows through wetlands and grssy area, towards new red bridge, port lands

two women on the shore of DOn River

greenery, shrubs and plants in foreground, lafarge cement, yellow bridge in background, biidaasige park, don river

newly planted trees in front of Don River as it goes under new yellow bridge

water lilies in don river, a walking path beside the river

small access area to Don River with walking and cycling path, biidaasige park,
two pale purple chickory flowers poke their heads out from between slats of a wood fence

A black wasp has found a swamp milkweed flower.

a black wasp on top of a pink flower of a swamp milkweed plant

below: The washroom facilities are still temporary (I hope!) but at least they exist….

temporary toilet faciities in a portable building, white, by sidewalk, port lands, by biidaasige park

workmen doing garden work in park at portlands, with lafarge cement silos in the backgroun

… But there is more.  Biidaasige is not the only new park in the area.  Just to the east is the new Leslie Lookout Park that features this 10m tower that references the areas industrial history.  It echos the silos of the past and provides an elevated viewing area.

path leading to Leslie Lookout park, and its repurposed concrete tower

below: The park is at the east end of the Ship Channel

view from tower at leslie lookout park, along ship channel to the west

inside the leslie lookout park tower, looking northwest towards city skyline

sand beach and muskoka chairs at leslie lookout, overlooking ship channel, and next to an industrial site

at leslie lookout, towards CN Tower and city ckyline, overlooking ship channel,

Both parks are just part of the redevelopment of the Port Lands.  The area has always been industrial, and many industries remain.  Construction continues on other areas

below: Unwin Avenue

Unwin Ave looking east towards the Hearn generating station and its very tall smokestack

below: The old Hearn Generating Station still sits empty.  It was built in the 1950s as a coal powered generating station but it was decommissioned in 1983.   It has been used as a movie set location or as a backdrop for art installations but because of the huge costs involved (especially with cleaning up the interior to present day safety standards) this heritage site is vastly underused.

hearn generating station building, behind fence with vines growing on it

below: But now there is a development notice sign on the fence. Its present owner, Studios of America,  has applied to redevelop the 30 acre site to include condos as well as other mixed uses.

hearn generating station building, with blue and white development notice sign on the fence

hearn generating station building and driveway with gate

sign saying construction zone ends is lying on the ground surround by weeds including yarrow

a dump truck parked beside a large pile of dirt, industrial site behind it

constuction, workmen and equipment, working along the banks of the new mouth of the Don River, as seen from under the yellow bridge

dump truck on street, across intersection from a group of cyclists

a cyclist rides on Commissioners street in the port lands

on a utility pole, two signs, one with arrow pointing right for Don Valley Parkway north, and one toronto city street sign for Villiers street

villiers street scene

abrupt end of the elevated portion of the Gardiner Expressway on the north side of port lands redevelopment activity at the corner of Villiers and Munitions

dump truck on flattened pile of dirt, immediately south of end of the gardiner expressway

port lands redevelopment activity at the corner of Villiers and Munitions

a small orange and white cone covers the top of a pipe coming up from underground, a bulldozer in the background, vacant land, just dirt

red dump truck releasing its load of dirt, adding to dirt on vacant lot in port lands

bulldozer, or front end loader with load of brown soil, heads out gate of construction site towards road, CN TOwer and toronto skyline in the distance

graffiti, bright red heart on a wood pole, with other sctibbles and scrawls on it

graffiti sticker of a poodle head by dogma, beside red arrow pointing to fire extinguisher

black eyed susans, yellow flowers with black centers

a little bit of Sherbourne in the sun

Posted: September 3, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, old buildings, public art, transportation
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a little bit of Church Street, on the run…..

And of course, a lot of in-between too.  A bit of a random walk south from Bloor on Sherbourne, Jarvis, and Church.  A zigzagging walk through four neighbourhoods.

  But first, coffee!  De Mello Coffee on Bloor has mirrors under their counter and it makes for some strange scenes.

 

inside a coffee shop, de mello coffee, counter has mirror below so that reflections of backs of people sitting are seen from the waist down

below: In the lobby of Postmedia Place on Bloor Street there is this sculpture – three people reading newspapers.

statue, sculpture, in post-media news building lobby, a group of 3 people reading, 2 sharing a bench, and one boy lying on the ground.

below: I found not one, but two, anser faces of unknown vintage in an alley just west of Sherbourne

anser graffiti face drawn in black on a white wall in an alley

graffiti artist anser, blue line drawing of a face on a green garage door

below: Upper Jarvis was neighbourhood number one that day.   The north end of Jarvis Street is at Charles Street; here Jarvis splits into Ted Rogers Way (old Jarvis Street) and Mt. Pleasant.

city of toronto street sign for bloor street east, with header of upper jarvis

below: Looking south along Mt. Pleasant immediately south of Bloor. If you can see the covered pedestrian walkway over the street in this picture, that is where Mt. Pleasant turns slightly left and becomes Jarvis Street.

jarvis street, south of bloor, looking south

below: Ishkozi Park is a small green space on Huntley (actually on the grounds of Rogers Toronto headquarters).  The benches have been recently painted, but the large sculpture in the center has been there a while.  The walking lady in the sculpture may look familiar and you may be thinking to yourself, “Where have I seen her before?”.  The stainless steel sculpture is a giant tree and is titled ‘Red, Orange and Green’ and it was created by artist Michael Snow. …. Have you figured out why she looks familiar? … She was first spotted back in the early 1960s…..

ishkozi park on huntley street, with large metal sculpture, and rainbow painted benches

 

The neighbourhoods along Sherbourne and south of Bloor are other rapidly changing areas of the city. On the west, many older homes still exist but they are empty and obviously waiting demolition (or inclusion into a large condo development?).

below: Once they were a few family homes, now they are a number of smaller apartments.   Interesting brickwork.

set of 3 rowhouses, red brick, bay and gable, with taller apartment buildings and condos behind them

two older large red brick residences near Bloor and Sherbourne, three storeys each, with large newer glass and steel condo behind

below: Another ubiquitous development notice sign – this time to inform us of a very large two tower development that involves three streets, Huntley, Linden, and Selby.  Portions of some of the older houses would be kept and the towers would be behind them.  I did not do a complete research on the planning application (21 227527 STE 13 OZ) but it seems like city council didn’t like many parts of the initial proposal back in 2021/2022.  I do not know what it’s status is now.

older white two storey house, with development notice sign on the front lawn

older brick residences on a side street near Jarvis and Bloor, with large Rogers headquarters building behind

 

below: On the east side of Sherbourne, it is Howard Street that is torn up. This is the west side of St. James Town.

workman at a construction site

hoardings around a construction site at Howard & Sherbourne, design by Sarah Klawiter, abstract shapes that look a bit like a city scene, with trees and grass, as drawn by a child

below: A cheeseburger with a sesame seed bun!

bell on the handle bar of a bike, shaped like a cheeseburger with a sesame seed bun

below: Someone’s heart is in heaven, but Lisa and Jerry 4-Ever!

wood park bench with graffiti, words that say my heart is in heaven, also Lisa and Jerry 4 ever

below: Jarvis & Gloucester/Earl northwest corner.  Some black, some white, and lots of grey.

apartment buildings and new highrise glass and steel condos, looking north on Jarvis, west side of the street, at Gloucester

below: Fancy brick work, rounded windows, and a turret!

older brick building with fancy brick work, rounded windows, and a turret

old lamp posts by a brick building

bay windows and stone work above the entrance to the Earl, a low rise apartment building

below: Church Wellesley village, neighbourhood number two.

street sign for Wood st., with header of Church Wellesley village in rainbow stripes, old Maple Leaf Gardens in the background

below: Once upon a time it was Maple Leaf Gardens, home to the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team (1931-1999). Now it houses a Loblaws grocery store and TMU athletic facilities (Mattamy Athletic Centre). Northwest corner of Church and Carlton

old Maple Leaf Gardens on the northwest corner of Church and Carlton, now part Loblaws store and TMU athletic facilities

Church street side of old Maple Leaf Gardens, art deco brick work

a man sits in a TTC streetcar in downtown Toronto as another streetcar passes it, going in the opposite direction

below: Lots of pink on Maitland Street.

old houses on Maitland street, now stores and businesses, one is painted bright pink with a turquoise door

below: Garden of Lost Boys – dedicated to the memory of friends and neighbours lost to the AIDS epidemic.

small statue in a garden, surrounded by flowers and flowering shrubs
metal circles for locking bikes to, painted in rd, orange, and yellow, in front of a store with a window display that says love sholdn't be bottled up

below: Hot tub macrame!!  Finally, a use for those plant hangers that you (or your mother) might have – that you probably made back in the 1980s.  If you don’t have such a thing, you can find this one in a store on Church Street.

grey plant pot in a macrame holder, with three naked Ken dolls sitting inside it

metal fence in front of store window painted in rainbow colours, reflections in the glass

convenience store, lower level, steps down to it, on church street, with rainbow canadian flag, ad of lott max lottery, ups store ad,

part of a mural by Barbara Hall park, a young person with a long rainbow banner

below (also above): Tribute to Sarah Hegazi, written in 2020.  “To my siblings: I tried to survive and failed, forgive me. To my friends: the experience was harsh & I was too weak to resist it, forgive me. To the world: you were cruel to a great extent, but I forgive.”  Hegazi was an Egyptian writer and LGBTQ activist who was arrested and tortured in Cairo for waving a rainbow banner. She found asylum in Canada in 2018 but died by suicide in Toronto two years later.

mural in Barbara Hall Park, tribute to Sarah Hegazi, large black and white portrait, with text, rainbow painted benches in front, park

below: Patchwork teddy bear graffiti sticker by artsbyabe

graffiti sticker, patchwork teddy bear with a black eye, in the background, a rainbow coloured crosswalk

two men walk past Soy Boys massage on church street
sidewalk traffic box painted in blues and purples with large text that says It's all about drag

below: At the end of the rainbow you will find O’Gradys – in on of the few half houses that exist in the city.

O'Gradys tavern on Church street, with rainbow crosswalk in front of it

man in blue hard hat a construction site on church street

construction site with digger in the middle of an intersection, church street

policeman directing traffic in front of a ttc bus, a man on an electric scooter,

below: On a school wall – a door with rainbow stripes and hearts along with Honesty (Gwekwaadziwin) and Wisdom (Newaakaawin)

doorway of a school with rainbow stripes and hearts, and some words in indigenous language

below: Gerrard Street East and the Garden District,… now we are at number three.

city of toronto steeet sign for Grrard St East, with header that says Garden District

below: … but wait, Gerrard Street East in McGill Granby Village?  The difference of course is that one is on the west side of Church and the other is on the east.  Neighbourhood number four.

city of toronto steeet sign for Grrard St East, with header of McGill Granby Village

below: By the time we get to Queen Street, we are in Old Town Toronto, Historic Queen Street and Neighbourhood number 5.

Old town toronto city street sign for historic queen district, queen street east
top of a TTC streetcar at church and queen

below: The round turret of that yellow building still remains. The green scaffolding keeps the facade stable while new development occurs around it.  Some of you may be old enough to remember it as a Thriftys Sports Shop.   The last business to occupy the space before demolition was Shawarma’s King.

two streetcars going in opposite directions about to pass each other at corner of church and queen, a man on a scooter is also in the intersection
black and white photo of a couple standing on a street corner while a TTC streetcar passes them, both are wearing hats, she is looking for something in her bag and he is watching her

below:  Church street just north of King.  Fenced off and closed to traffic.

beside construction zone, workman waiting for group of people to pass before letting a dump truck pass through gate

person walking a small black dog on sidewalk beside construction zone at king and church

west side of St. James cathedral on Church Street, construction machinery on the street, were pavement has been removed

below: The intersection of Church and King, looking towards the southeast corner.

looking southeast at the corner of king and church streets, workmen on the road, pavement removed, closed to traffic,

below: Still King and Church but a slightly different angle

at king and church, construction fence, on west side of church, looking at southwest corner of the intersection BMO bank

buildings on king street, engel and volkers, old brick buildings, newer glass behind, street torn up for ontario line constrcution

below: … Also King Street

sidewalk patio on king street, with red umbrellas and decorated with lots of flowers including pink petunias

below: Leader Lane runs between King and Wellington. After many years of “discussion” and planning, the part of Leader Lane that is south of Colborne just might get pedestrianized.  This picture show the north half of Leader Lane and yes, that section has just been completely redeveloped around the older white building.

O'Briens tavern, Leader Lane

below: P.J. O’Brien’s has been on the corner of Colborne and Leader Lane since 1966.

front of O'Briens tavern, Leader Lane and Colborne street, an old yellow buolding with blue trim

A quick look back at Front and Sherbourne – this is the northeast corner of that intersection.  A lot of new development here!

northeast corner of Front and Sherbourne streets

Phew! Time for a rest!

workmen sitting and having a rest on the job site

With thanks to all the friends that I walked with that day…. shown here doing what we all do best, play in our favorite photo places (in this case, Leader Lane, side of P.J. O’Briens)

by the large clock on the side of P.J. OBriens on Leader Lane, by their guiness ad,