Union station | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘Union station’

another downtown loop

Posted: May 12, 2025 in construction, locations, people, public art, transportation
Tags: boats, Carlton, construction, Destinie Adelakun, downtown, Gardiner Expressway, glass, harbour, Harbourfront, Heritier Bilaka, Jordan Sook, June Clark, Laura Donefer, Love Park, Maple Leafs, owl, Queens Quay, reflections, Segun Caezar, steetcars, Transit Through Time, TTC, Union station, York Street

Good morning! The weather forecast said that there was a chance of drizzly rain and they were right but it wasn’t that much and it didn’t last for long. Not the best day for sunny blue sky photos of the city, but since when has that held us back?

below: You probably don’t recognize where this photo was taken (unless you are familiar with the Victoria Hotel). This is Yonge Street, just south of King subway station, and it is also where I started walking the other day….

below: Contrasts of old and new at the corner of Yonge and Wellingon. Architectural trends as well as the material used are a product of their time.

below: The old stone entrance with a large circular window over the door and an arch that matches those over the other windows. There are also little details in the stonework that you just don’t see in modern buildings.

below: The more recent development to all glass buildings with oversized (i.e. extra tall) ground floor levels.

below: But such extensive use of glass is not entirely new. Downtown skyscrapers have been built using steel frames and glass since the 1960s. I think that the TD bank tower was one of the first, if not the first, in 1967. But that’s not this building… this is part of the large RBC complex on Bay Street between Wellington and Front. The bright pink plants along the sidewalk are wonderful!

below: The south part of the RBC building is very photogenic! Its gold coloured glass as well as its angles and nooks make for some interesting pictures. The older stone Union Station is hiding in the bottom left corner.

below: A recent addition to the streetscape in front of Union Station are these bland blocks of concrete. Such imagination! So much thought went into their design! Really? That’s what someone thought would be a great addition to Front Street?

below: There were some complaints about the older ones… the Jersey barriers that were meant to be temporary but then never went away…. in fact, many of them are still here….

There are 2 art installations in the West Wing at Union Station. The first is a group exhibit, “A Transit Through Time” featuring six Black artists – Destinie Adélakun, Pixel Heller, Segun Caezar, Heritier Bilaka, Rico Poku and Camille Kiffin. Each artist is responsible for one panel…

below: The picture in the foreground, the woman with a red head scarf and blue blouse, is the work of Segun Caezar.

below: “Gelede Queens” by Destinie Adelakun – people in ornate costumes pose in front of a large fireplace and mirror. According to UNESCO, “Gelede is performed by the Yoruba-Nago community that is spread over Benin, Nigeria and Togo. For more than a century, this ceremony has been performed to pay tribute to the primordial mother Iyà Nlà and to the role women play in the process of social organization and development of Yoruba society. “

below: “Self Knowledge” by Heritier Bilaka

below: This large butterfly, by Jordan Sook, is part of another installation called, “Nothing More, Nothing Less”. Apparently there are more butterflies around Union Station. Have you seen any?

below: Ontario Square between Queen’s Quay and the waterfront where a large image from Alex McLeod’s “Liquid, Gold” can still be seen. I wrote a blog past about this picture and others from this series a year ago, “Liquid, Gold and other matters“

below: This “Carnavale Amulet” basket is made of glass and was created by Laura Donefer. It is on display at Harbourfront along with several other of her pieces.

below: A few boats are docked in the harbour. The bridge over the harbour is no longer just blocked, but is now severed.

below: Protecting the young trees

below: Dead and not alive; dead and dead. Patio season on the waterfront hasn’t begun yet.

below: On the south wall of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery a very large photograph by June Clark still hangs. This is left over from last year’s CONTACT Photography Festiva.

below: Getting ready to clean up the city?!

below: Still quiet now, but getting ready for summer…. water taxis to take people to Centre Island.

below: Patriotic red and white, but a very sad Canadian flag.

below: Love Park on the southeast corner of York and Harbour is now complete. This public space was created when the exit ramp from the Gardiner to York Street was removed. It is difficult to see from ground level photos, but the pond is heart shaped.

below: A beaver has made its home in the pond.

below: There is also an owl that has a great birds eye view of the park. Someone else has a great view too!

below: Looking north on York from Harbour Street towards the Gardiner Expressway and beyond. Love Park was behind me to the right when I took this photo.

The old multi level parking garage at Lower Simcoe and the Lakeshore is on its way down. Demolition is well underway.

below: Dwarfed by the new condos around it, the stairwell and elevator shaft from the garage stands on its own. Whose picture is at the top? Someone blowing a giant bubble – must be quite the wad of gum!

below: The other stairwell.

below: “Don’t trespassing”!

below: The demolition as view from the other side of Lakeshore Blvd.

below: A lot of concrete! Under the ramp to the Gardiner

below: The northeast corner of York and Lakeshore

below:

below: York Street at Lakeshore Blvd where the old green Gardiner Expressway travels directly above the Lakeshore

below: Just after taking the above photo, there was much noise from the honking of horns, as this black car decided to take a short cut to the ramp by going north in the southbound lane on York Street.

And last, a shout out to the Toronto Maple Leafs as I walk through the Scotiabank Centre back to the subway. As I write this, the Leafs tied at two games apiece with the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Go Leafs Go!

below: Carlton in his regular blue and white attire as well as in his St. Pats costume. Love the curly wig and the clover leaf shaped glasses! You can catch Carlton in the store at Scotiabank arena (along with a lot of other Toronto team paraphernalia!).

all connected

Posted: November 23, 2024 in galleries, graffiti and street art, public art
Tags: 401 Richmond, A Space Gallery, All Beings Connected, art, August Swinson, Carole Conde, Cecilia Vicuna, Citra Sasmita, cows, Emily Pope, Evan Penny, Harold Town, It's Still Privileged Art, Janet Cardiff, Karl Beveridge, Katharine Burns, Morris Lum, Mycelium, Nicholas Baier, Nicholas Galanin, Open Studio Contemporary, painting, sculpture, Tessa Mars, Union station, Vera Frenkel

a photograph from 1975, colour, couple sitting on old couch, words on white wall behind them that say it's still privileged art, woman is leaning away from man, head turned away too, man has his hand up toward camera

Photo taken of a picture on an art gallery wall. The original was taken by Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge in 1975 as part of a series titled “It’s Still Privileged Art”. Now it is part of a retrospective exhibit of the artists’ work at A Space Gallery at 401 Richmond West.

Is art privileged? What does that mean? I hadn’t meant to get philosophical when I planned a “Downtown Art Hunt” walk. Put the question aside for a bit and let the ideas simmer in the back of your head. Instead we’ll wander around downtown Toronto and see what we can find.

below: I wasn’t looking for Taylor Swift but she’s difficult to avoid these days.

below: It’s hardly art but it’s probably better than grey concrete. Better still would be to get rid of these Jersey barriers that line Front Street in front of Union Station. They are a temporary solution that is fast becoming a permanent installation. “aaniin boozhoo” is Anishinaabemowin (also known as Ojibwe) and is a greeting. (UPDATE – 25 Nov: I just read that these barriers are being removed this week!! Maybe complaints do get action!!).

below: “All Beings Connected” by August Swinson in the Main Hall of Union Station.

below: The figure in the image is rooted to the ground, drawing their strength from the earth beneath, connected to the life around.

The West Wing of Union Station connects the main building to the walkway to the UP Express or to the Skywalk that leads to the CN Tower and vicinity. A lot of people pass by here. At the moment there are two art exhibits, both of which are part of “Precarious Joys”. This is the name given to a collection of art exhibits around the city, the Toronto Biennial 2024 (which ends December 1st).

below: Using art as a backdrop to a family photo. the Tong Yan Gaai (Chinatown) series by Morris Lum

below: Nicholas Galanin, part of “Threat Return” 2023

below: “Mycelium” is the name of this network of lights designed by artist Nicholas Baier. In biology, mycelium refers to a root-like structure of a fungus that consists of a network of thin fungal strands called hyphae. In Toronto, it is found on the Bay Street bridge that connects Scotiabank Arena with CIBC Square and the GO Bus Station.

below: Because the walls of the Bay Street bridge are glass, “Mycelium” is also visible from the outside.

below: A green acorn. From little acorns….. There was a picture and a planter beside the elevator in this lobby. Nothing more. A small austere space but someone cared enough to hanging a painting of an acorn.

below: Tucked away in a corner where it’s often overlooked is “Pi” by Evan Penny (1996). A man’s head has been cut into four pieces, disconnected, and left sitting on the ground. I have walked past here many times and not noticed it.

below: It’s art, but it’s also a place to sit.

below: Another painting on a wall in a quiet lobby. No signs. Abstract, but it reminds me of two faces smushed together. One of the faces has a mouth and chin made of crushed shredded wheat. He, or she, is wearing a black mask. What else does it look like to you?

below: More lobby displays. One of a group of paintings by John Eric Laford (1954-2021), an Ojibway artist from Manitoulin Island.

below: Mama elephant is still leading her two little ones behind Commerce Court.

below: If the elephant could see, this would be her view. I am not sure it’s art, but the white light trees that come out around Commerce Court at Christmas time are now up.

In same square (does it have a name? Or is it just Commerce Court?), is an art gallery, Collision Gallery. They are one of the locations featuring art from the Toronto Biennial.

below: Cecilia Vicuna helped co-found of Artists for Democracy in 1974 after she left her home country Chile. A military coup upended that country in the early 1970s. Here at the Collision Gallery she has an installation, “Futur.O [Futur.E]” that pays homage to Gail Kastner.

below: Words written on strips of paper. From the left, the first four are: “I had a very [illegible] feeling in my head. I had a blob not a head”, “The whole purpose was not to research brain washing but to design a system for extracting information from resistant [forces?]”, “These little books are her memory”, and “To defend herself and preserve her mind from erasure she created little books packed with extremely dense miniature handwriting” When you read the story of Gail Kastner and her treatment at a Montreal psychiatric institute in 1953, these writings will make more sense.

below: Vicuna connects the electroshock experiments of the 1950s to the use of such techniques in interrogation and torture. In this drawing she writes about electroshock treatment being used in Chile to “erase the past and the future, creating a great lie”. Almost as an aside, I’m not sure that creating lies requires such drastic measures; it seems these days that all you have to do it shout it loud enough and often enough and you can create whatever reality you want. How do we retain our memories under such circumstances? Memories help keep us connected to our past and to our present. Who are we without our memories?

below: Dreamlike mythical figures dancing together in “Joyous Procession/The Infinite Serpent” by Rajni Perera.

below: Details of a couple of the banners that hang from above to form a circle around an LED light fixture that suggests fire. Artist: Citra Sasmita

below: “All Islands Touch” by Tessa Mars, another installation at Collision Gallery. I am not fond of things lying around on the ground counting as art and I don’t think that they add much to the piece. You might disagree and that’s okay.

below: Fingers growing out of rocks? Plant life at the bottom of the sea reaching skyward toward the light?

below: Playing with the cows

below: Denyse Thomasos (1964-2012) Trinidadian-Canadian, is the artist who painted this picture that hangs inside in the lobby of the TD Centre-Mies van der Rohe building. An abstract, but very much an urban scene with its vibrant chaos.

below: In the same lobby as the image above, this abstract by Susanna Heller (1956-2021) tells a different story. There is also chaos but it seems more “natural”, more like nature instead of man-made. It is titled: ‘Restless Prowling from Night to Day Break’ and is 30 foot long.

below: Jose Bautista flips his bat after hitting a home run ….and his fans cheer.

below: Emily Pope and her series of (mostly) blue, black, and white. “Antidotes for Yearning” or the examining of “the instinctual urge to ward off the inevitable despite our guaranteed decay. Through symbolic imagery…” Abbozzo Gallery

below: Also at the Abbozzo Gallery are a series of very realistic looking paintings of waves by Katharine Burns. (It looks better in real life!)

below: One of the wave pictures, zoomed in a bit. Translucence, light, spray, motion, and so much more.

below: At the BAND (Black Artist Network in Dialogue) Gallery is a small showing of artworks owned by the founders of the gallery. The BAND Gallery has temporary space at 401 Richmond West while its usual space at 19 Brock is being renovated.

below: Two large paintings by Janet Cardiff, large figures, connected. Dancing, Intertwined. Are they happy?

below: In one of the halls of 401 Richmond West is a large poster. It is a collage of photos taken by Vera Frenkel with some of her words added to them. Title: “Once Near Water: Notes From the Scaffolding Archives” 2008. She took pictures of any scaffolding that she saw while walking around Toronto. At the top left she opens with these words: “By the time you see this, the city we know will be gone. Once a rich multi-course meal, now a dry biscuit.” Do you think that we are turning into (or have become?) a “dry biscuit”? We’re definitely changing and I’d like to think that some of the changes are for the better (and it would help if Doug Ford would keep his hands out of the cookie jar).

below: On another hallway wall (in the basement) of 401 Richmond is this piece….Do you think that you are tough? A tree made of bricks.

below: He’s got a long way to go. Smashing the tree, brick by brick, smash, smash, hurt your head, crash, faster harder, smash, smash

below: An oldie but goodie; a painting by Harold Town (1924-1990). It’s on display at the Simon Bentley Fine Art Gallery along with a number of other paintings and artworks.

If you can remember waaaaay back to the beginning of this post, you will recall that I started with an image by Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge. I am going to end the post with a couple more of their photos. They obviously care very much about social issues.

below: A marvelous collage, “A Work in Progress”. The original dates from 1979. In 2006 it was updated by adding four in the series so that now 12 decades of women’s work/life is now covered. This is the picture that encapsulates the 1950s. The wartime image out the window is actually the Hungarian uprising. Elements include a calendar on the wall showing a woman working in a factory, a coffee percolator on the table, a Beatrix Potter children’s bowl on the table, a crucifix on the wall, a red squeezie ketchup bottle, the syrup container with the pull back tab opening, baby bottle, star weekly magazine, the old radio….

below: Not a Care, A Short History of Health Care. This is actually a series of 12 images, each one representing a time and place in history from neolithic times to the present (made in 1999). I discovered that the whole series is online and if you are interested, you can see them here: Conde & Beveridge’s website

As for that statement about privilege and art… there is no answer; there are many answers. Making art is not for the privileged few; most of us have the need to create. Whether it’s shouted from the rooftops or whispered quietly in a little corner, all art is valid to some degree.

Viewing art is not just for the privileged; there is so much out there… just get out and look. You will think some of it is stupid, or mediocre but sometimes you’ll find something that makes you stop and think. Or stop and stare.

Those sentences barely scratch the surface and may seem quite lame but this is probably not the time nor place for philosophical essays… but feel free to leave your comments/opinions on the subject.

“Opinions? I’m supposed to have opinions?”

When the fare inspectors get onboard.

above the railway tracks, at CIBC Square

Posted: November 18, 2024 in construction, locations, public art
Tags: CIBC, construction, downtown, park, poppies, railway, Roxy Paine, Royal York hotel, Scotiabank Arena, Steve Driscoll, tracks, Union station

There are so many new buildings in Toronto! One of them is the new CIBC building at 81 Bay Street which is immediately south of the railway tracks and across the street from Union Station. It is also adjacent to the new GO Bus station.

below: If you take the elevator to the 4th floor of the new CIBC building, you can access the new park. This is the view that greets you. The park extends over the railway tracks – a great use of space!

below:Looking east from the park (on a foggy morning, and with a spot of dirt on the glass fence). The trees on the right mark the spot where a strip of land separates the railway tracks from the Gardiner Expressway/Lakeshore combination. Between Yonge and Parliament there are no buildings adjacent to the tracks on the south side. That tall splotchy looking building is the Sugar Wharf Condos which, as the name suggests, are close to the Redpath Sugar property.

below: Looking north across the roof over the railway tracks. The gold building is another bank building, RBC (Royal Bank of Canada). On the right, the building that looks like there are diamond shapes in the glass, is a second CIBC tower but on the north side of the railway tracks.

below: Construction continues on the north side. It too will have a park that extends over the tracks. The two parks should merge into one once construction is completed.

below: Westward

below: In the center of the park is a large shiny metal leafless tree. This is “New Amalgam” by Roxy Paine (2022). It is 72 feet high.

below: Looking over the covered tracks at Union Station and all the ventilation system components on the roof.

below: A closer look at the nearby construction at track level (and lower).

There are also stairs on the exterior of the CIBC building that lead to the elevated park.

below: Looking south on Bay Street where Scotiabank arena takes up most of the street scene. That’s the Gardiner Expressway as it crosses Bay.

below: Through the window to the interior of CIBC where Steve Driscoll’s artwork shines brightly.

below: “A light stolen from the sun” is a collection of 12 digital prints on laminated glass. they can also be viewed from the 4th floor but access is controlled. Also, camera use will get you a nice chat with a security guy. The usual, phones are allowed but even little cameras are a no no.

below: An outpouring of red poppies is the stunning centerpiece in this Remembrance Day tribute (created by Fresh Floral Creations).

With thanks to Nancy and Merle who went exploring with me that day.

a blustery winter day

Posted: January 23, 2024 in locations, public art, reflections, waterfront
Tags: Anique Jordan, boats, CIBC Square, Empire Sandy, Gardiner Expressway, ice, John McEwen, kraken, Kuumba, Lake Ontario, Legends Row, Maple Leaf Square, Maple Leafs, Mycelium, Nicolas Baier, photography, Queens Quay West, roller skating, Scotiabnk Arena, Stephen Tayo, streetcar, Union station, water, waterfront

Hum dum dum ditty dum
Hum dum dum

below: A Porter flight approaches the island airport

below: The Empire Sandy moored at the waterfront, with the Toronto fire boat in the distance.

“Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily

And the leaves are rustling gustily
So it’s rather safe to say

That it seems that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
It looks like a rather blustery day, today”

as sung by Winnie the Pooh

below: A kraken is taking over the boat!

below: A large photograph, on the south wall of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is “These Times 2019” by Anique Jordan which has been on display since the CONTACT Photography Festival last spring.

below: “Kuumba”, Photography by Stephen Tayo is on display outside at Harbourfront

below: Also at Harbourfront, orange ties blowing in the wind. These are remains, and a reminder, of Orange Shirt Day on 30th September.

below: Looking east on Harbour Street, parallel to the Gardiner Expressway, toward York Street and the wedged shaped building that has been squeezed into the space.

below: Waterfront ReConnect: Pixel Story is a “temporary creative intervention” located under the Gardiner Expressway at Lower Simcoe. Crowd-sourced stories and memories of the waterfront each on a little blue square. Making constructive use of a space that has been neglected for so long; adding colour and interest to what was grey and slightly foreboding.

blue squares arranged in a grid as part of a public art installation. some squares have simple white pictures and some squares have words written in white

“Railways arrived on Toronto’s waterfront in the 1850s. To accommodate, a southward extension of the shoreline via infill was required. The ground where we stand now is close to the original shoreline of the lake.”

below: On the north side of the Gardiner – still a little darkness lurking there.

below: City of Toronto sign says Tree Protection Zone. I don’t think that I believe it.

below: At this point I had had enough of the cold; it was time to check out a warmer route! So underground I went, down into the PATH system. The lobby of ICE at 12 York has this large circular skylight over the escalator.

below: And then there is this long black, white, and chrome tunnel that connects the ICE condo and the PATH system. The walls on both sides are reflective and it’s a bit disorientating. Is this supposed to represent walking through a block of ice, or black ice?

below: PATH, the underground rabbit warren of tunnels that connect downtown buildings to each other. Usually I get lost down here.

below: I found myself in a grocery store

below: And I discovered that the PATH sometimes goes high, not low. I found myself on the upper level of the Scotiabank Arena.

below: There is a great view of Legends Row from up here – that’s the statues of all the Maple Leaf Captains from the past.

below: And inside, a collage of Leaf players hangs on the wall.

below: There’s even a portrait of Justin Bieber, behind glass, wearing a Maple Leaf jersey with a Captains C on the shoulder.

below: This is also good vantage point for all of Maple Leaf Square

below: Including a close up view of the rusty metal things… Actually it’s “Search Light, Star Light, Spot Light” (1998) by John McEwen.

At Scotiabank Arena, the PATH splits into two possibilities. One route is through Union Station and the other is up the escalator towards the new GO Bus Terminal.

below: Four (or five?) John Tavares’s to give directions to the new GO Bus Terminal. Happy to oblige!

below: There is now a pedestrian bridge over Bay Street that connects the Scotiabank Arena and Union Station Bus Terminal to the new CIBC SQUARE building. This is the view looking south on Bay

below: Along the north wall of the bridge is a work by Nicolas Baier called “Mycelium”. It is a network of LED lights and it is visible from outside as well.

below: At CIBC Square there is a new rooftop garden/park that has a tall skinny metallic tree, along with some real trees. There is no access to it yet but it will probably be a more welcoming in a few months.

At this point I retraced my steps back through Scotiabank and then walked through Union Station where I learned that a small space has been set aside for a temporary roller skating rink. Free rentals. Free entry.

below: He still stands outside Union Station with the flock of birds flying around while the sun reflects off the gold tinted Royal Bank Building.

below: Steamy Yonge Street on a cold day

below: Development notice outside 69 Yonge Street.

below: C’est tout. Fini. Time to go home.

Union Station and beyond

Posted: August 19, 2023 in construction, locations, people, public art, transportation
Tags: Bremner, construction, David Rokeby, John McEwen, Legends Row, Maple Leaf Square, Maple Leafs, Pixel Cube, Scotiabank Arena, signs, statues, Union station

Welcome back!

below: Posing with the men of Legends Row

below: The CN Tower peaks out from behind glass buildings on Bremner.

below: A slightly different angle, but still looking west on Bremner towards the Rogers Centre, which of course everyone still calls the SkyDome. The very east end of Bremner is also known as Raptors Way in celebration of the Toronto Raptors NBA Championship win in 2019 (that’s basketball for those of you who don’t follow such things).

below: Maple Leaf Square. The three rusted metal cones form “Search Light, Star Light, Spot Light” (1998) by John McEwen. At night, light shines through the thousand star shaped holes in the metal.

below: South entrance to Union Station.

below: More public art with lights can be seen in the foyer at 25 York Street (enter at Union Station in photo above and turn left). Thirty thousand lights suspended from the ceiling and they are constantly changing colour. This is David Rokeby’s “Pixel Cube”.

below: If you had turned right instead of left into 25 York, you would find yourself in the foyer of Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pictured, larger than life on the wall, are 90 Ryan O’Reilly, 16 Mitch Marner, and 88 William Nylander.

below: Russell Peters gives directions?

below: Although much of the Union Station renovation is complete, there are still mystery parts behind temporary walls and plastic barriers.

below: The walk from the railway side of the station to the TTC portion is now covered. No more dodging the elements!

below: Construction on Bay Street, immediately north of the railway tracks.

below: A typical day in downtown Toronto? Construction vehicles caught in the gridlock.

below: Intersection of Bay and Front (that truck is still there!).

below: At street level, something is happening with the gold tinted glass windows on the Royal Bank building. No opportunities to play with reflections in the angled glass walls. As an aside, if you want to discover how many plainclothes security people are lurking in the area, put your camera over the wall and aim it at the building. Then smile.

below: Heading north, Bay and Wellington

humanity and a kraken

Posted: October 31, 2021 in locations, public art
Tags: art installation, ArtworxTO, Camal Pirbhal, Camille Turner, David Rokeby, Entire City Project, House of Baby, Humanity Movement, kraken, lights, Masai Ujiri, Michael Awad, Queens Quay, Sir John A Macdonald Plaza, slavery, street art, Union station, waterfront

The results of a walk on what was probably the last warm evening of the year….

below: In Sir John A. Macdonald Plaza (that’s the space in front of Union Station by Front Street) is an art installation by Masai Ujiri, “Humanity Movement”. There are 35 words that represent what humanity means to Ujiri – words such as compassion, love, selfless, collective that are repeated as they cover the eight foot high installation. A light in the center makes the words appear on the sidewalk and on the structures (and people) around it.

below: Inside the Great Hall at Union Station is an image titled “House of Baby” that is the result of a collaboration between Camille Turner and Camal Pirbhal. It is a image of people in the Great Hall that includes portraits of 18 Indigenous and Black people who were enslaved by the Baby family.

Francois Baby (1768 Detroit – 1852 Windsor Ont) and his brother James (1763 Detroit – 1833 Toronto) were politicians, businessmen and land owners. Francois stayed in what was then the Western District of Upper Canada (around Windsor). His biography is long and I’m not going to go into details here but he did have slaves. James moved to York in 1815 and was part of the establishment – between 1792 and 1830 he held more than 115 appointments or commissions of varying degrees of importance.

In 1793 John Graves Simcoe, then Lieutenant Governor, tried to abolish slavery in Upper Canada but many of the ruling class, including James Baby, were slave owners and outright abolishment failed. Instead there was a compromise made (how Canadian!) and restrictions were put on slave ownership such that by 1833 there were none left. A much more complete history of slavery in Upper Canada can be found in an article at Upper Canada History.

below: On the York Street side of Union Station

below: On the PATH system at 25 York Street there is a mural that is 25 metres long (or 100 feet long); it is “Entire City Project” by Michael Awad, 2009. It is a warped panorama of commuters outside Union Station.

below: The lights hanging from the ceiling are another art piece. “Pixel Matrix”, is a large cube of 30,000 individually controllable LED lights on strings, with constantly changing lighting effects. It was a collaboration between Michael Awad and David Rokeby

below: Making a kraken. One tentacle can be seen in the foreground.

below: The kraken’s eye is a video that plays on a screen bulging from the container that can barely hold its contents. Will the kraken escape? Is Queens Quay safe?

below: Lights in motion

below: The art installations at 10 York Street look much different at night!

below: Lights over the harbour, Queens Quay

cold and windy, downtown in January

Posted: January 30, 2021 in construction, locations, public art
Tags: Bay Street, Bremner Blvd, construction, cranes, development, Dewit L. Petros, Front St., glass, GO bus terminal, Iceberg, mural, queens quay east, Queens Quay West, Raptors Way, reflections, Rob Jensen, Robert Wyland, signs, Sonic Runway, Union station, walkway, Warren Trezevant, whale

A cold and frosty afternoon walk westward along a windy Queens Quay to Harbourfront with a detour to Union Station to warm up. It was below zero, but only single digits so it can’t be that bad, right?

below: New construction, Lower Jarvis at Queens Quay East, beside Sugar Beach

below: Redpath Sugar on Queens Quay East

below: “Whaling Wall”, 1997, on the side of Redpath Sugar, one in a series of 100 murals painted by Robert Wyland that feature whales and other seal life.

below: Looking north up Yonge Street from Queens Quay

below: Ice just beginning to form on the water. Although it’s almost February, Lake Ontario remains unfrozen – at least up until last Thursday when this picture was taken. That was also the coldest day of the winter that we’ve had so far. A lot more of the harbour, and lake, should be frozen now!

below: Looking north up Bay Street from Queens Quay

below: Lakeshore & Gardiner at Bay Street.

below: There’s a new walkway over Bay Street that joins Union Station and the GO bus terminal.

below: Looking south from the new walkway. On the right is the old postal sorting station, then Air Canada Centre, and now totally rebranded as the Scotiabank Arena.

below: It also offers new views into windows!

below: Towards the new GO Terminal. When I wandered through it was just me and two security guards.

below: The first of these that I have seen, inside the new GO bus terminal.

below: The old GO Terminal

below: It was very quiet in front of Union Station, especially subdued for late on a weekday afternoon.

below: Remembering the 2019 Raptors team.

below: York Street at Bremner, with the base of the CN Tower peaking through.

below: Looking into the lobby of a new building at 10 York Street, designed by Brad Golden & Co.

below: “Iceberg” in Canada Square, with the CN Tower in the background. This sculpture, that you can walk through, also has sound and lights. The latter would probably be better seen a little later in the day!

below: Dewit L. Petros, “Untitled (Overlapping and intertwined territories that fall from view III)”, on the south wall of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. This was part of the 2020 Contact Photography Festival.

below: “Sonic Runway” a light-art installation on the waterfront created by Warren Trezevant and Rob Jensen.

And then home to warm up again!

January once again.

Posted: January 25, 2020 in waterfront
Tags: art, boats, bus shelter, city, CN Tower, construction, danger, fire rescue boat, Future Retrospectives, H T O beach, Hannah Claus, ice, Lake Ontario, Loop, Power Plant Contemporary Art, public art, Queens Quay, Scotiabank Arena, sea gulls, snow, streetcar, tug boat, Union station, walkway, waterfront, winter stations

It’s been a while since I posted here mostly because I’ve been away. But I’m back in Toronto and back to walking. The other day didn’t start as planned! A locked gate stood in my way.

Shortly after, I saw a sign …. I’m not sure that it references locked gates specifically, but at the minimum it’s a reminder to remain flexible.

As anyone Canadian city dweller knows, winter in the city rarely means white snow – the brown slush quickly takes over. Here, at Spadina and Queens Quay, the road has been painted red to alert drivers to the fact that this is a streetcar lane.

Lake Ontario has only begun to freeze, and only in quiet protected places. The first part of January was warmer than usual. Even as I type this it is raining and all the snow is melting. There probably isn’t much of this ice left this afternoon.

below: A “Danger due to” sign that has blown in from somewhere else but is just as relevant here as it is at any construction site.

below: The Music Garden hibernating for the winter.

below: Kayaks at Harbourfront resting for the winter months.

below: The fire rescue boat was out and about the other afternoon.

Now on at the Harbourfront Centre is “Future Retrospectives” which is a group exhibition of works by artists and designers who use the past as a lens to look at the future (until 29th March).

below: The coloured shapes with the words, are the work of Hannah Claus. They hang on a clear background so the installation on the wall behind shows through (also the work of Hannah Claus). In fact, the two go together. At first I thought the coloured shapes represented tombstones but in fact they are a replica of the plaque on Hochelaga Rock. This rock commemorates the village and people encountered by Jacques Cartier in 1535; it is on the McGill campus in Montreal. It is also featured in the photos on the far wall. The English words (bottom half) start with “Near here was the…”. More information.

below: Will we be able to understand a future time? Also part of Future Retrospectives.

below: Timeless. Eternity. Waiting for the bus.

below: This is ‘Loop’ an interactive “Winter Station” public art installation. In past years, there have been 5 or 6 different art installations along Queens Quay as part of the Winter Station project. This year, there is just this one which is located at York Street Park. The circles are large enough for two people to sit face to face. There is a metal bar which can then be moved back and forth between the pair. This movement makes an inner circle spin and activates some lights. It is the creation of Olivier Girouard ; it is scheduled to remain here until the 9th of February.

below: Harbour Street, looking east towards Yonge Street from the elevated walkway that runs north from WaterPark Place, over the Lakeshore and under the Gardiner.

below: Reflections on the walkway.

below: After passing under the Gardiner, the walkway wraps around the west side of the second floor of the Scotiabank Arena (originally the ACC).

below: The south entrance to Union Station, from the walkway. This is also a good view of the new glass platform over Union Station (train shed roof?) – this is something that I need to check out in more detail.

below: Also under renovation is the Bay Street exit of the Scotiabank Arena. A new walkway between it and the building being constructed across the street is almost complete. It is on the same level as, and immediately beside, the railway tracks. This walkway will connect to the new Union Station bus terminal

below: Exit onto Bay Street and look up! Upward. And to the future…. wherever that leads us.

downtown with no particular plan

Posted: June 14, 2017 in construction, general Toronto, reflections, transportation, windows and walls
Tags: 3D signs, Artport, Bobbie Rosenfeld, Canada 150, Canada Square, CN Tower, Coastal, condos, construction, Dai Skuse, Fastwurms, Gardiner Expressway, glass, Harbourfront, images, Johan Hallberg-Campbell, Kim Kossi, metal, photography, pictures, ramps, rust, skywalk, Union station

Monday’s walk was a meandering route downtown, once again going where my feet and eyes take me. No particular plan in mind and no set destination… just trying to explore where I haven’t been recently. No theme jumped out and tapped me on the shoulder but a few “stories” emerged.

below: There is now a 3D sign between the CN Tower and the Aquarium that says Canada 150.

below: …and another 3D sign by the CN Tower (you can see part of the back of the Canada 150 sign through the tree). I wonder how many there are in this city now? Another bit of information (trivia?) – this area is called Bobbie Rosenfeld Park and has been since 1991. Fanny (“Bobbie”) Rosenfeld was a Canadian athlete who won two track medals in the 1928 Olympics. She also played softball and hockey in the 1920s and 30s. When arthritis force her to stop playing she turned to sports journalism, working for the ‘Globe and Mail’ until her retirement in 1955.

One of the routes from the CN Tower into the downtown core of the city is via the Skywalk, a glass enclosed elevated walkway over the railway tracks. The next few photos were taken as I walked that route.

below: A Toronto species of woodpecker in its native habitat – a forest of glass and steel. This artwork was completed in 1997 and is the creation of Dai Skuse and Kim Kozzi who together are known as Fastwurms.

below: The above photo was taken from a quiet little terrace that I accessed from the Skywalk. Now you can see just how big the woodpecker is! The ‘tree trunk’ pole is 30m high. What you can’t see is the second woodpecker who is on the other side of the pole and slightly farther down it.

below: The glass of the Skywalk creates some interesting reflections and shadows. The glass was fairly clean the other day when I walked through it. I have seen it when it’s been quite dirty and it’s not a pretty sight.

below: Union Station, looking east from the Skywalk. The new roof over the station platforms is taking shape. Someday soon I’m going to have to take a look at the insides of the station; I can’t wait for all the renovations to be completed.

below: Part of the south “wall” along the railway tracks.

below: Looking east from lower Simcoe along the south edge of the Gardiner Expressway. The podium of the new condo under construction at 10 York Street is quite the wedge!

below: I played a bit on google maps street view and this is what I found for the above scene (taken Nov 2016). If you compare the photos (above & below), it’s obvious that one of the ramps for the Gardiner Expressway has been demolished. The eastbound exit to Yonge/York/Bay was removed a couple of months ago. If you are a regular user of the Gardiner, I’m sure you have already experienced the consequences of this!

below: Standing on the same spot, but turning around 180 degrees – looking west from Lower Simcoe. An old ramp in the foreground…. and what looks like new construction in the background. Those are new bents (the structures that hold up the road).

below: To get a closer look at what was happening here, I ventured around to the other side . This is the view from closer to Rees Street. There is car on the old ramp so it must still be open (onramps still functional, just the offramp was removed).

below: The trees are growing at Canada Square (Harbourfront), but so are the condos. Yes, this new building is the same one with the wedge shaped lower floors.

below: Also at Canada Square, there are three large photographs by Johan Hallberg-Campbell, a series called “Coastal”. This one of them:

below: More of Hallberg-Campbell’s work can be seen inside in the Artport Gallery (Harbourfront building) – here, many photographs with simple wood frames are mounted on a wall that is covered with large images. “Coastal” is the product of the artist’s travels to coastal areas of Canada, from Newfoundland to northern Manitoba to British Columbia and many places in between. Life on the edge, so to speak. (Note: gallery show ends 18th June)

below: It’s not art but sometimes the line between public art and advertising campaigns is fuzzy.

Not all is shiny and new. And that’s the way it should be.

from The Esplanade to Union

Posted: May 13, 2016 in events, locations, public art
Tags: art, buildings, city, CN Tower, construction, construction Berczy Park, downtown, Front St., images, Market St., Paul Raff, photography, public art, railway, shoreline, Shoreline Commemorative, THe Esplanade, Toronto, train tracks, Union station, urban, workmen

On Friday morning, my original goal was to find ‘Residents of the Esplanade’, a CONTACT Photography Festival outdoor exhibit at David Crombie Park but it was such a beautiful morning that I didn’t stop there. I found more than just the ‘Residents’.

Forty years ago, May 1976, the site plan for The Esplanade neighbourhood was approved. Since then, it has become home to a very diverse group of people. And it is those people that this installation celebrates on the 40th anniversary of the founding of the neighbourhood.

Crombie Park runs along the south side of The Esplanade between Berkeley street and Lower Jarvis. The installation consists of a number of small white rectangular pillars with the picture and story of person on either side.

People were out enjoying the morning; school kids were playing basketball at recess.

Flowers were blooming.

below: Looking towards Lower Jarvis Street and downtown Toronto.

below: One street beyond Lower Jarvis is Market Street. It dead ends at the railway tracks. The long structure on the right is a parking garage.

below: After a small backtrack up Market Street, I went through Conger Coal Lane to Church Street. I don’t think I have walked this way before. The lane was named in commemoration of the Conger Coal Company whose yard and wharf was nearby. It was one of the many companies that provided Toronto with coal back in the day when coal fueled the city. It was started in 1870 by Mr. P.D. Conger. In 1913, Sterling Coal company bought Conger and the name was changed to Conger Lehigh Coal Co.

below: A very old photo of the Conger Coal Company dock at the foot of Church Street, back when Church street ended at Lake Ontario

below: Tucked into a corner on Church street immediately south of Front Street, is an art installation by Paul Raff called ‘Shoreline Commemorative’. A topography of limestone forms the base of the work. A glass ball representing the line between sky and water sits on top of a tripod that tries to evoke a land surveyor’s tripod. The words on the wall say “For 10,000 years this was the location of Lake Ontario’s shoreline. This brick wall stands where water and land met, with a vista horizon”

below: Continuing the lake theme, a little fish out of water, jumping over the entrance to a condo.

below: From the lake theme to another common theme in the city, construction. Spring is the beginning of construction season and here Berczy Park is being upgraded. In the background a new condo is being built but as we all know condo construction ‘season’ never ends. In fact, the challenge might be to find a place in this city where there isn’t a condo being built.

below: I walked past the never ending Front Street construction. Construction in front of Union station seems to be finished, but this stretch of Front Street just west of the station is still being worked on. There have been fences here so long that I can’t remember a time when they weren’t here.

as I walk Toronto

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