Securing the future of heritage trees: a protection toolkit for communities (2011) is based on work by the Ontario Heritage Tree Alliance. This publication, devoted to the topic of heritage trees, is available from the Toronto Public Library. The publisher is the Ontario Urban Forest Council. The discussion that follows includes comments from David Switzer. […]
The text for the 2011 Parkview School letter was developed with input from many sources From time to time, we’re asked to share details regarding the text that we used in the letter writing campaign connected with the successful effort to keep Parkview School in public hands. The letter went through several versions, in the […]
Pamela Gough is the Trustee, Ward 3, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, for the Toronto District School Board. She has recently been appointed to the City of Toronto Board of Health (BOH). Through that appointment she has had her attention brought to a report on Walkable Communities that came to the Board of Health recently. “You would be very […]
You may have heard of communities that have tried to set up a heritage conservation district but that have not achieved success in completion of such a project. From what I’ve learned in my recent research, and twenty-five years of volunteer work as a community organizer, the process of getting a heritage conservation district designated, or any […]
As we begin work on planning for a Heritage Conservation District designation for Long Branch, it’s useful to consider prior designation projects. Some such attempts in Toronto have achieved success. Some have not. I’m looking forward to reading a report that was written in 1981, on the occasion of a previous attempt to set up […]
(Photo credit: Doris Durance. © Durance family and Robert Lansdale.) Left to right in photo above: Connie Durance, Cyril Durance, George Durance, Rene Durance, and Florence Morrel. We owe thanks to Barbara Durance for sharing this photo, taken about 1925, with us. The image we have posted is from a 3-inch wide, highly faded photo from the 1920s. Robert […]
We owe thanks to Councillor Grimes’ office for suggesting this walk and to Mike James for agreeing so readily to serve as as a leader on this walk. We owe thanks to Ruth Grier for sharing information from her May 2010 Long Branch Jane’s Walk and to David Switzer for letting us know that there’s a distinction between […]
I spoke recently with Fanny Martin, Event Manager, Jane’s Walk. She mentioned something about Jane’s Walks that I find most appealing. She said that a Jane’s Walk is in the nature of a conversation. Everyone’s free to share a thought — it’s not some kind of top-down distribution of information. I like that aspect of the process […]
By way of background regarding the Lakeview Waterfront Connection project, I’m pleased to share with you the following for the public meeting — held on Feb 23, 2012 — which I found highly inspiring. The Mississauga side is developing wetlands using landfill. This will involve what are described as significant savings in financial […]