as I walk Toronto

Resilience at Cedarbrae

Posted: May 4, 2023 in events, public art
Tags: Cedarbrae, Cedarbrae Library, CONTACT, Contact photography festival, people, photography, portraits, Scarborough, Scarborough Made

“Resilience” is a photography exhibit at Cedarbrae Library.

It is the creation of Scarborough Made. This is a group founded by Alex Narvaez x Sid Naidu in 2019. It uses photography and cinematography to document positive stories about the people of Scarborough with emphasis on identity and culture.

“Resilience:
The ability to recover from challenges or adjust easily to change.

Resilience exists all around us.

We see it in the movers and shakers, the cultural change makers and creative instigators.

We see it in our neighbourhoods, from the small businesses to our healthcare and essential workers.

Resilience is what lives in our narratives and exists within our identity.

Our resilience as a community is stronger when we stick together. With it, we can overcome the challenges and build towards a better future.

The portraits you see as part of this public art installation represent the many faces that embody resilience. Pulling from both past and present works of Scarborough Made artists, we’ve created this exhibit for you to see and reflect on the humanity that exists within our community.

Resilience is us
Resilience is you
Resilience is Scarborough. ”

Artists

Alicia Reid
Ferdinand Orlain
Millicent Amurao
Nithursan Elamuhilan
Alex Narvaez x Sid Naidu

Villiers Street with images

Posted: May 3, 2023 in construction, locations, public art, waterfront
Tags: chain, fence, images, locks, oil drums, photography, Port Lands, redevelopment, Ryan Walker, silos, Vid Ingelevics, Villiers Street

Part of Port Lands redevelopment.

Almost a year ago, a number of photos of the Port Lands work were installed along Villiers Street, “How to Build a River”. This is at least the second exhibit by Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker in this location. The prior set of images can be seen in a post from 2020, “the new Cherry Street bridge“. It was part of the Contact Photography Festival for 2022. I realize that it is now 2023 but I had forgotten about this exhibit until last week when I was walking in the area.

Here are some of the photos along with a few other details seen on Villiers Street.

below: “Sand and Charcoal”

below: “Stratified River Ingredients”

below: Meander

below: Eastward on Villiers Street

below: Crib Wall 3

below: “Layering Membrane”

below: “Transplanting #1”

below: “Transplanting #2”

You might not be able to see these images any more. It is now May 2023 and there is another Contact Photography Festival that has just begun. Ingelevics and Walker have a newer exhibit planned which was scheduled to be installed for the 1st of May. Chances are this newer exhibit will stick around for a while too!

swirling around the Science Centre

Posted: April 30, 2023 in construction, landmarks, locations, transportation
Tags: building, concrete, Crosstown, development, Don Mills, Doug Ford, Eglinton, housing, LRT, politics, rock, Science Centre, transportation

Rumours swirling that is…. because the Ontario Science Centre has been in the news lately. Doug Ford (and the Provincial PC’s) have said that they are going to move it from its Don Mills and Eglinton location to Ontario Place down by the Exhibition Grounds. What then becomes of the Science Centre LRT station? It hasn’t even opened yet and its already obsolete? And needs a new name? …..that’s assuming that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT ever gets done. But hush, no one is talking about that, that’s a secret……

below: Behind fences, the new Science Centre LRT station and transit hub remains unfinished. It is a very quiet construction site. Not a soul to be seen.

One of the arguments for moving the Science Centre is to open up the land for housing. Let’s ring some bells and say ‘housing’. Who can oppose housing, right?

below: This is southeast corner of Don Mills and Eglinton where a development notice stands. Apparently two towers are planned for this location – 26 and 48 storeys high. (The Science Centre is on the west side of Don Mills Road).

In fact, on the east side of Don Mills Road, south of Eglinton (i.e. across the street from the Science Centre), there are two other properties with development notice signs.

Four new towers, as infill, have been proposed for these sites.

AND

What is now the upper parking lot for the Science Centre is already on the books as new housing. This is at the southwest corner of Don Mills and Eglinton. The sign may have been flattened but that doesn’t make the plan disappear!

below: Blocked sidewalk on the south side of Eglinton, upper parking lot is on the left side in the picture

below: View looking south from the upper parking lot towards the Science Centre

AND (Yes, there’s more)

There is a 60 acre development on the northwest corner of Don Mills and Eglinton (the old IBM/Celestica site) that is in the midst of being transformed into the Crosstown neighbourhood.

below: This is a picture that I found (and have blatantly swiped from) on an Urban Toronto web page – It shows the development and infill at Flemingdon Park among the existing structures. The planned buildings are slightly transparent – perhaps 14 of them?? (and that doesn’t include all of Crosstown) The Science Centre is bottom centre.

So which developer whispered sweet nothings in Doug Ford’s ear?

Who thought that moving the Science Centre was a good idea?

Who owns the land now? Did you know that 81 acres of the land that the Science Centre is on is owned by the TRCA? That’s the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority. The rest of the land (a tiny sliver along Eglinton & Don Mills) is owned by the city of Toronto. TRCA and the City of Toronto jointly leased the property to the Ontario Science Centre for a 99-year term, expiring on June 30, 2064.

The TRCA owns the land because of the terrain – steep slopes, ravines, and waterways – i.e. not land suitable for housing. Doug Ford’s announcement came as a surprise to the TRCA – but does that surprise anyone?

below: Another image that I found online that describes the area better than any words that I could write. This is a map of the area showing who owns what. Source: TRCA website

BUT

What else is happening here?

The new subway/LRT line, the Ontario Line, Doug Ford’s favorite line, is also being built here. It is the transit line that runs south from the Science Centre to close to the lakeshore before turning west through downtown (Queen Street closed for 4 years for construction!!) and ending at Ontario Place.

Work has already started in the ravine south of the Science Centre where there will be stops for both Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park. The whole north section of the Ontario Line will be elevated. Between the Science Centre and Flemingdon stations it will run above the street and sidewalk (Don Mills Rd). At some point between Flemingdon and Thorncliffe Park there will have to be a bridge over the West Don River.

below: Where the Science Centre meets the West Don Trail

Some other photos from the area

below: The Science Centre has interesting trash bins on its grounds. Maybe they could teach the city a thing or two?

below: West side of Don Mills Road

below: The southwest entrance to the Science Centre station from another angle

below: Looking west on Eglinton towards Don Mills

below: Walking home after school

It was four years ago that demolition of the old IBM buildings began. On the surface it doesn’t look like much is happening.

Out of Service. Nothing happening here.

Sorry, but I have a few more questions and comments about this thing I encountered at Don Mills & Eglinton ….

What is this? A phallic rock in a concrete circle …. or Doug Ford giving the city the finger? To those who design and build public art (if that’s what it is)…. that concrete circle is just a large garbage can. It will collect trash. It will fill with rain water. It will be an unsightly mess. It’s too low for a bench and it blocks the sidewalk. There’s no sign and no explanation. I can’t find anything about it online either.

prospects on Lawrence East

Posted: April 28, 2023 in intersections, locations, stores, transportation
Tags: Ammis restaurant, car sales, Ghadir, Halal, Ian Leventhal, Mayfair Drapery, Modernnisa, Moon Lounge, multicultural, murals, parking lot, Precious Blood, restaurant, Scarborough, signs, stores, Tony, Tru Belle, TTC, used car sales, Wexford Heights

Lawrence Avenue East between Victoria Park and Warden Avenues is a fairly typical Scarborough “thoroughfare” street, or arterial road. It has seven lanes of traffic and is lined mostly by strip malls set back from the street to accommodate parking lots in front. It is designed for cars. Also typical of Scarborough are the many different ethnic restaurants and shops. I decided to walk these few blocks after I heard about The Lawrence Prospect which is a group advocating changes to this stretch of Lawrence Avenue… Changes like dedicated bus lanes and bike lanes as well as sidewalk improvements to increase pedestrian safety. They are promoting the idea of a “complete street” which simply means that the street works for all users, not just for cars.

below: This stretch of Lawrence lies in the Wexford Heights neighbourhood

below: The wavy roof over the entrance is a throwback to the late 1960s and 1970s when there was a lot of development in the area. It was an era when the car ruled. Land was cheaper and more abundant. Strip malls and ‘plazas’ were popular.

Like many areas of Scarborough (and Toronto for that matter), it is very multicultural. You can find a cast array of different ethnic restaurants and stores here.

below: Weekend breakfast, Halwa Puri, Butter Chucken, Lunch Special, and Family Deal with tandoori chicken!

below: Ibrahim BBQ Shawarma, halal, with Iraqi kabab and Shawarma wraps, 2 for 1!

below: Very few remnants of a much slower and sleepier past remain. Little white picket fences are rare!

below: Part of the impetus for the Prospect project was the fact that some street work was going to be completed here this spring/summer. Why do a partial job only to have to redo it a year or two in the future? As of today (28April) there is no construction happening here. The only sign of work is at the corner of Lawrence and Warden where the sidewalk was widened.

Bike lanes on Lawrence Avenue from Victoria Park all the way to Rouge Hill (16.2km) were approved in 2008 but were never built.

below: The Moon Lounge with its neighbours – Mayfair Drapery & Rug below with Tru Belle on top – skincare, hair care (pink!), and body sculpting advertised.

below: Unloading can, bags, and boxes

below: Window of Top Gun Burger

below: Lawrence East is served by TTC route 54. It runs east from Eglinton station (at Yonge) to Leslie Street, north on Leslie, then east on Lawrence. The route ends at Starspray Blvd – you’ve probably never heard of it but it’s on the waterfront just before the Rouge River. That’s a distance of almost 28 km.

below: Greetings for Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims fast during daylight hours (among other things). This year it was observed between 22 March and 20 April.

below: The planet is in our hands

below: Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church

below: Looking west at Pharmacy with a Seniors crossing sign.

below: Do any drivers notice these signs? What are they supposed to mean?

below: Wedged between the UPS store and Tim Hortons drive thru are these murals by Ian Leventhal. (NW corner Warden & Lawrence)

below: Moovattuphuza is a town in Kerala India.

below: Diana is holding a large fish and is pictured beside a fishing village in Greece.

below: Nearby (SE corner of Warden & Lawrence) is Tony’s portrait.

below: Modernnisa women’s clothing store – evening gowns, kaftans, abaya, and hijabs

below: “Dear Toronto, We’re just getting started, Love Scarborough”. It’s an ad campaign for Scarborough Hospitals that is appearing in bus shelters. Along with the play on the “Love Scarborough” phrase there is a sense that maybe Scarborough’s time has come. In 2017 Catherine Hernandez’s novel “Scarborough was published; it has since been adapted into a movie. The movie was shot primarily in Scarborough and premiered at TIFF in Sept 2021.

below: Multicultural yet very Canadian.

below: Nigeria Palace, Bamar Biryani and Kabob, Luxmy Restaurant

below: Northwest corner of Warden & Lawrence

There was one thing missing here – I didn’t see one single blue and white City of Toronto development notice sign! Nada!

below: There is no construction happening here – left over from a previous job?

reds on Leslie

Posted: April 13, 2023 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: 1233 Queen St East, China Lily, eat the rich, graffiti, Lee Foods, Leslie Street, Memory Lane, mural, nose, red door, redevelopment, star, stickers, streetcar, The Duke, walls, wheatpaste, window brick

and other little distractions near the south end of Leslie Street.

below: The bright red walls of The Duke stand out at the corner of Queen Street East and Leslie Street.

below: Just to the south of Queen, this red door marks Memory Lane

below: On the same brick building as the door above there is a window with eight panes of cloudy glass surrounded by a thin red line.

This is 1233 Queen Street East and it was formerly Lee’s Food Products. China Lily brands soy sauce was produced here for about 70 years. The building was constructed in 1920 and was first used as a billiards house with apartments above. Yeat Yum Lee bought the building in 1947 and turned it into offices and a factory for his food products.

There was an attempt last September to have the building designated as a heritage site but if the Lithos Group (the development company that owns the property) website is accurate, the old building is about to be demolished. Another condo with blah (i.e. non-existent) street level planning. The blue and white city development notice on the building says that there will be 132 residences on 8 storeys (with retail at street level). There will be parking for only 10 cars.

below: Metal tower (container?) on the side of the Lees building. The Duke is on the other side of Leslie Street.

below: Front window of 1233 Queen Street East

below: Like many empty buildings that are waiting to be demolished, the walls become a canvas for graffiti artists to take advantage of. Here, two identical faces with different tastes in drinks.

below: Multicoloured diamond shaped ‘scales’ on the iguana…. or is it a chameleon who can’t decide what colour it needs to be?

below: More wheatpaste on a brick wall.

below: The Duke, a solid brick building built by James Morin in the 1870s as the Morin House Tavern. Morin had been a grocer who went into the brick business; he was the first in the east end to make mechanized pressed bricks. It was renamed ‘The Duke of York’ in 1912 in honour of Prince Edward – Duke of York & Albany. If you are interested in the history of this part of the city, Leslieville History has a webpage full of information and stories

below: Fading MEN at The Duke (it’s a big step up…. or down)

below: In a nearby alley, “Eat the rich”! The fork is provided.

below: Beside, and in, the window of a Thai restaurant. I was a bit hesitant about the “Piss Riffin” on the sticker but as it turns out, it’s a podcast where they talk about things “that matter like life , love and most importantly piss!” So consider yourself warned before you click that link!

below: Gas pumps on queen just because (I like the chaos of competing shapes and colours).

below: Part of a mural by Rowell Soller

below: Another nose nearby – but a much larger one! Beware of nasal drip!

at Croft and College

Posted: April 1, 2023 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: cheshire cat, Christina Mazzulla, dragonly, Elicser Elliott, frog, getso, Jeff Blackburn, jewelwings, love, murals, Nick Sweetman, people, popsicle, praying mantis, raccoon, tongue

Most of these murals were painted in the summer of 2020.

below: “Protect your energy”

a painting on the side of a wall on Croft Ave., by elicser elliott, of two people with text protect your energy

below:A raccoon in pinks and purples, by Jeff Blackburn

mural featuring a large raccoon head in shades of pink and purple

part of a collaboration mural on a wall, yellow popsicle by Jeff Blackburn and an ebony jewelwing damselfly on a leaf by Nick Sweetman

below: by Nick Sweetman – two ebony jewelwings, a male and female along with a partially submerged frog with its tongue ready for action. Jewelwings are a species of damselfly.

mural on a wall by Nick Sweetman, ebony jewelwing damselfly, frog with long tongue partially submerged in water

below: GETSO (or Getsofacto)

street art piece with trash bins in alley

below: A larger than life grinning Cheshire Cat by Christina Mazzulla.

below: Some people by Elicser Elliott hanging out in a doorway.

below: Love in the alley short metal pole in front of hydro meters painted purple, a sticker on the pole along with the word love in paint

Photos taken January 2023

Winter Stations 2023

Posted: March 21, 2023 in events, public art
Tags: Ashbridge Bay, burlap, Conrad raccoon, Daniel Joshua Vanderhorst, Delighthouse, Lake Ontario, Life Line, lighthouse, netting, Novak Djogo, people, Ripple Hut, the (Home), winter stations, Winternet, Woodbine Beach

Winter stations 2023, as in previous years, is a collection of art installations along the waterfront at Woodbine Beach. I went for a walk along the beach one very blustery Saturday morning. There weren’t many of us there and I think that I was the only one who wasn’t accompanied by a dog.

below: ‘Delighthouse’, designed by British pair Nick Green and Greig Pirrie.

below: A shrine to the neighbourhoods of Toronto titled “The (Home)” designed by Canadian group, Scott Shields Architects

below: “Ripple Hut” designed by students from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Department of Architectural Sciences.

below: Looking through one of the holes in “Ripple Hut” towards the curved yellow forms of “Surface Pavilion” which was designed by a Mexican team consisting of Cesar Guerrero, Ana Cecilia Garza, and Orlando Garcia .

below: “Winternet”, just burlap between wood posts. Designed, such as it is, by a team from University of Waterloo, Dept of Architecture.

below: “Life Line” – design team: WeatherstonBruer Associates – James Bruer, Nick Roland, Jacqueline Hampshire

below: “Conrad” is a large raccoon designed by Novak Djogo and Daniel Joshua Vanderhorst; it is also a memorial to Conrad the real raccoon who died at the corner of Church and Yonge Streets in the summer of 2015. Whether you love them, hate them, or are indifferent to them, raccoons are part of the Toronto scene.

_________________________

Some previous years’ installations:

2017 – Flotsam and Jetsam

Winter Stations 2019

Winter Stations 2020

On the waterfront – Winter Stations 2022

Que Rock and Bacon in Weston

Posted: February 7, 2023 in graffiti and street art, landmarks
Tags: Alex Bacon, animals, birds, black bird, blue jay, crow, fish, flowers, Lawrence Ave East, mural, oriole, owl, Que Rock, Weston

There is a railway bridge over Lawrence Avenue West just to the east of Weston Road (close to Weston UP Station). The walls beside the sidewalk on both sides of the underpass have been painted with street art designs of flowers, birds and animals. The murals are the result of a collaboration between Que Rock and Alex Bacon.

Another Weston mural – Out and About

Another recent Weston blog post – A little piece of Weston

‘Out and About’ in Weston

Posted: February 5, 2023 in graffiti and street art, public art
Tags: bakery, children, Christiano De Araujo, dancing, history, kissing, Out and About, people, restaurant, soldier, wartime, Weston, Windows of Time

‘Out and About – Windows of Time’ is a large mural by Christiano De Araujo that features scenes from the social history of Weston village. Unfortunately, the (painted) young man who is sitting on the sidewalk and playing a guitar is hidden by the (real) car parked in front of the mural.

This post is actually a continuation of today’s other post, “A Little Piece of Weston”. You’ll find other murals and street art there as well as a few little odds and ends about the Weston neighbourhood.

a little piece of Weston

Posted: February 5, 2023 in graffiti and street art, history, locations, old buildings, public art, stores
Tags: bicycle paintings, Bryan Bermudez, Elicser Elliott, houses, Jim Bravo, Johnny Bower, Mario Noviello, mural, Niel Yee, Pantelis Kalamaris Gardens, pedestrian bridge, Peters Barber Shop, railway tracks, residential, Rowena Kizito, sidewalk boxes, stores, Valentines, Weston Road, Weston Streetscape

This blog post is the result of a walk around the vicinity of Lawrence Avenue East and Weston Road. The latter was once Main Street in the village of Weston.

below: Approach to the Weston pedestrian bridge over the railway tracks. The Grand Trunk Railway was built here in 1856 (now Canadian National Railway, CNR).

below: Elicser Elliott’s paintings of cyclists over the years line the ramp to the bridge.

below: Looking back to the west

below: Looking south towards Weston UP station (Union Pearson Express) at Lawrence Ave.

below: A young girl outside on a sunny day in a bright and cheerful painting on a lone house. Next door is an Islamic Association and Masjid. Like so many other places in the city now, a larger and taller building fills the background.

below: Street scene and evolution – The oldest buildings are in the row of two storey commercial establishments that line Weston Road (by the traffic lights). Behind them are apartments that are a few decade old. Last, the most recent development is in the immediate foreground, right hand side.

below: Jerk Hut, Desserts, Juices, and Candy Cakes all squeezed into a little building beside (behind?) CashWay. And while you’re there, you can get your palm read upstairs.

below: Southeast corner of Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue East.

below: For all your vegan leather and faux fur needs – Honeyy dripp (I had to look it up!)

below: There is a series of pictures on these windows that was painted by Bryan Bermudez, Jim Bravo, Niel Yee, and Rowena Kizito in 2014. It depicts young people from three different eras.

below: ‘Weston Streetscape circa 1900’ by Mario Noviello, 1997-1998. Original concept by Eric Lee. A streetcar passes in front of Weston City Hall. On the right is the Central Hotel with the brick steeple of Central United Church just visible behind it.

below: Another bike

below: I think that someone is a Maple Leaf fan!

below: Peter’s Barber Shop is now on Pantelis Kalamaris Gardens. In fact, the street was named after Peter back in 2012, just after the 50th anniversary of the shop opening (which was in 1961).

below: And nearby is Johnny Bower Blvd. Bower (1924-2017) was a Toronto Maple Leaf goalie in the 1960s, a great decade for the Leafs as they won the Stanley Cup four times…. 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967. Bower and his family lived on this street at the time.

I also saw many wonderful older brick houses, the kind that we aren’t building any more. Some of the styles were common to Toronto while some were more unique.