The War of 1812 brought the first Ukrainians to the city – then called York – as mercenary soldiers

Updates: A Feb. 20, 2014 New Yorker article is entitled:” Will Ukraine break apart?” A Feb. 28, 2014 Globe and Mail article is entitled: “Globe in Kiev: Ukraine’s new government declares Russia has invaded.” A Feb. 28, 2014 Guardian article is entitled: “Ukraine: Night Wolves and unidentified military men seize key Crimea sites.” A Feb. […]

Wall on south side of Lakeshore Road near Dixie Road is for the Hanlan Feedermain shaft

Update – Dec. 23, 2013 message from Mississauga Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey’s Office: Good morning Jaan The fencing around the site is for the Hanlan Feedermain shaft. Once the shaft is dug a boring machine will be lowered into it to tunnel up Dixie Rd. There is another location being setup at South Service […]

Council gives Humbertown Shopping Centre redevelopment proposal the green light (Etobicoke Guardian, Dec. 19, 2013)

A Dec. 19, 2013 Etobicoke Guardian article by Cynthia Reason about the Humbertown Plaza redevelopment project is entitled: “Council gives Humbertown Shopping Centre redevelopment proposal the green light.” The subhead reads: “Residents association, First Capital Realty compromise to help move project along.”  

Comments from David Godley regarding OMB

The following message is from David Godley, a resident of Long Branch (Toronto not New Jersey): Thank you for inviting comment on the Ontario planning system in which I have been involved as a planner since 1974. These comments are mainly on predictability, transparency and accountability and citizen engagement. They are from the Toronto neighbourhood […]

Modern empire was not an aberrant supplement to the history of modernity but rather its constituent part (Partha Chatterjee, 2012)

“Modern empire was not an aberrant supplement to the history of modernity but rather its constituent part.” These words are from the preface of The Black Hole of Empire: History of a Global Practice of Power (2012) by Partha Chatterjee. What conceptual framework drove the British to establish themselves in Long Branch? The above-noted book […]

“We have met the enemy … and he is us” (Cowboys & Aliens, 2011; The War of the Worlds, 1938)

For a course, which I much enjoyed, in film and sound editing that I’ve recently completed at Ryerson University, I’ve submitted a final assigned paragraph – which I’ve broken into shorter paragraphs for posting to this website – concerning the editing of a scene from a movie that I’ve chosen for analysis. Altogether, we were […]

Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret (vancouverisawesome.com – Nov. 28, 2013)

A Nov. 28, 2013 post regarding the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret in Vancouver begins as follows: The Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret at 109 East Hastings Street was at the centre of Vancouver’s changing entertainment scene for decades. The venue adapted to the evolving tastes of Vancouverites, hosting a variety of musical acts, from big band to psychedelic rock to punk and […]

South Etobicoke Local Air Quality Study – Public Meeting January 15, 2014

Following message is from Toronto Environmental Alliance: [I’ve done some minor copy editing for purposes of posting it to the Preserved Stories website.] South Etobicoke Local Air Quality Study Public Meeting January 15, 2014 The City of Toronto has completed the local air quality study for South Etobicoke, and the next step is to hold […]

New Life for a Historic Creek in East Vancouver (vancouverisawesome.com – Dec. 18, 2013)

I spent seven years in British Columbia, mainly in Burnaby and Vancouver, from 1967 to 1974. I’ve been back to visit a couple of times and enjoy reading about how Vancouver has developed in the past forty years. I was delighted to read a Dec. 18, 2013 post at vancouverisawesome.com entitled New Life for a […]