On June 9, 2012, David Juliusson, Program Officer at Fort York, will lead the annual Tour de Forts bike ride

Cycling is a fun, healthy, and eco-friendly way to view Toronto’s early history. On Saturday, June 9, 2012, David Juliusson, Program Officer at Fort York, will lead the annual Tour de Forts ride, now part of the new Heritage Rides series of bike tours in and around Toronto. Here are the details for the tour, […]

June 5, 2012 Mimico 20/20 workshop was in my experience an impressive event

I’m really pleased I had the opportunity to attend the June 5, 2012 Mimico 20/20 workshop at the Large Gym at the Ken Cox Community Centre at 28 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive. The workshop had the same agenda and material as the May 29, 2012 workshop, which I had not been able to attend. […]

We know little about Colonel Samuel Smith; that opens many avenues for exploration

Many people in Long Branch, I’ve learned, have an interest in the history of the mouth of Etobicoke Creek. Some time ago I selected this area of Toronto as a focus of study and began sharing what I was learning. Jane’s Walks and Heritage Rides offer great two ways in which we can share what we’ve learned. […]

Join us for a great Heritage Bike Ride in Long Branch on Saturday, June 2, 2012

We’re looking forward to a great heritage bike ride on Saturday, June 2, 2012 – 1:00pm – 2:30pm. Long Branch, in the southwest corner of Etobicoke, was was once known as ‘cottage country’ for Toronto’s elite starting in the 1880s. A military’s rifle range — Long Branch Rifle Range — just west of Long Branch in […]

The Longo Development Corporation application for Amedeo Garden Court does not show any heritage buildings

As the story related to the heritage buildings at the Amedeo Garden Court apartment complex unfolds, I’m pleased to share with you this May 27, 2012 article by Joe Fiorito in The Toronto Star. Mimico 20/20 workshops seeking community input Given the response to the recent workshop related to Mimico 20/20, according to a recent announcement a second […]

The conventions of warfare have changed since 1812

In a previous blog post, I spoke of a recent lecture by Denise Harris about the War of 1812. Along with changes in the technology of warfare, as discussed in the previous blog, the conventions of warfare have also changed since 1812. Denise Harris noted, in her lecture on May 16, 2012, for example, that […]

What role did Etobicoke residents play in the War of 1812?

The event had a good turnout Gary Miedema of Heritage Toronto did a great job of coordinating the publicity for this event, one of a series of 1812 lectures occurring this year across Toronto. Gary Miedema is Chief Historian and Associate Director at Heritage Toronto. He’s also the author of For Canada’s Sake: Public Religion, Centennial […]

A moral logic was eventually built in to the structure of civic advocacy

In a previous post, I’ve referred to the argument that the introduction of a moral logic has turned out to be an effective way to sell public and private goods. This is a dimension of civic advocacy that I did not pay much attention to, when I first read the concluding chapter of Endless propaganda (Rutherford, […]

The shelter at the Long Branch TTC Loop was built in 1928, the year Mickey Mouse made his on-screen debut

How do you make a Jane’s Walk into a conversation?

During planning for the May 6, 2012 South Long Branch Jane’s Walk, local resident David Switzer pointed out for us a distinction between a Jane’s Walk and a Heritage Walk. We’ve also heard that every Jane’s Walk will be different, depending on who’s involved with it. Thus it may happen that occasionally a Jane’s Walk may be similar to a […]