12 h. ago Toronto's iconic dog fountain is getting a massive refresh this winter

Toronto's iconic dog fountain is getting a major refresh this winter, as the City prepares to hire a vendor that will repair and repaint the 27 dog sculptures (and the often overlooked but never forgotten, lone cat) that make up the centrepiece of Old Town's Berczy Park.Legendary Canadian landscape architect Claude Cormier (1960-2023) was the mastermind behind the fountain and led the renowned design firm, Claude Cormier + Associés, now known as CCxA, during the overhaul of Berczy Park. The studio is responsible for several major public spaces across Toronto and Montreal, including Sugar Beach and Love Park.Berczy Park's redesign was officially unveiled in June 2017 after extensive consultation with the Old Town Toronto neighbourhood, and quickly became one of Cormier's most recognizable works throughout his illustrious career.However, over time, the sculptures in the park have aged, and the once-vivid four-legged friends that surround the two-t...

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3 d. ago Toronto drivers to pay hefty fines for this winter driving mistake

Toronto drivers who park or idle on streetcar routes during major snowstorms could soon be shelling out a lot more money for their winter driving mistakes — $500 to be exact.City Council voted on Wednesday to more than double the fine for such offences, raising fees from the previous $200 fine to $500 in an overwhelming 21-4 vote. Councillor Dianne Saxe, who first introduced the penalty increase, said fines of only $200 were insufficient in deterring drivers.The increased fine targets cars parked illegally on designated snow routes, as well as vehicles that idle while picking up or dropping off passengers, or briefly stop to run errands. The new changes aim to prevent the transit chaos witnessed during last winter's heavy snowstorms, when streetcars were often blocked by cars parked by snowbanks.One viral incident saw Toronto residents quite literally push a car that had blocked a TTC streetcar, and the City says the new measures are designed to prevent similar disrup...

Transport

5 d. ago Historic Toronto mansion that's now 6 luxury apartments up for grabs at $5 million

While some Toronto historic property conversions on High Park Ave. have... uhh... stalled, this majestic old home at 178 High Park Ave. is definitely not one of them. In fact, I would say it's thriving.  When the seven-bedroom house sold back in 2018, it was a tired, late-1800s Queen Anne Victorian single-family home that had been in the same family for over 60 years and it was in dire need of some upgrades. And boy, did it ever receive a glow-up! Listing agent Edward Wang told blogTO that the seller went to extraordinary lengths to preserve the home's original character, replicating every door panel and matching door heights to the late-1800s design, restoring all the original crown moulding that had been hidden by a drop ceiling, and carefully saving the original ceiling medallions and tin ceiling tiles.The foyer of the owner's suite. Now, 178 High Park Ave. has been meticulously restored, renovated, and reimagined with the ...

Economics

6 d. ago Toronto's newest park is now open but don't get too attached to it

Toronto's newest park is officially open, but you might not want to get too attached to the freshly debuted public space at 50 Queens Quay East.Menkes Developments and the City of Toronto unveiled the new 10,000 square-metre park on Monday, Nov. 10, delivered as part of Menkes' Sugar Wharf community. The space introduces a new public amenity to the rapidly evolving eastern waterfront, though, in typical Toronto fashion, this park is set to be ripped up in the not-too-distant future to be replaced by… another park.This temporary nature is reflected in the space's name, "Park in Progress," and its minimalist look from landscape architect O2 Planning and Design.With a permanent replacement a few years down the road, this space was never envisioned to be a masterpiece. A few notches above purely utilitarian, it is intended for community use in the interim while plans are forged for a permanent destination for this site.Park features include vast ex...

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1 week ago Local firms reeling as Queen's Park sinks Toronto 'green roof' bylaw

Repeal of a Toronto bylaw has sent the London-area green-roof industry into a tailspin with some calling it a “death knell” for their businesses. Toronto’s green roof bylaw, adopted in 2009 and the first in North America, made it mandatory for new developments 2,000 square metres or more to install so-called green roofs – which […]

Economics

3 w. ago Toronto home with original 1903 features is just begging to be restored at $7 million

Toronto's Rosedale neighbourhood is full of stunning old mansions — but finding one that hasn't been completely renovated is getting harder and harder.Enter 74 Chestnut Park Rd., a grand, time-capsule of a home that's hit the market for the first time in more than half a century.With so many original details intact, it's practically begging to be restored to its former glory.The living room with two fireplaces and original stained glass windows. Built in 1903 by the noted architectural duo Langley and Langley, the stately seven-bedroom, five-bathroom home sits on an expansive 8,000-square-foot corner lot at Thornwood and Chestnut Park — one of Rosedale's most iconic, tree-lined stretches.The kitchen. Listed at $7,495,000, realtor Daniel Freeman calls it "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine a grand family home in one of Toronto's most storied neighbourhoods."A funky bathroom with a clawfoot tub. Freeman told blo...

Economics

3 w. ago New 'landmark' park opening in 2028 could end up being one of Toronto's coolest

New parks in Toronto have a history of lacklustre design, but the City is hoping to put that all in the past with the launch of an international design competition for a forthcoming public space set to open in 2028.The City announced the design competition on Thursday for the municipally-owned site at 34 Hanna Ave. in the Liberty Village neighbourhood. Currently home to a Toronto Parking Authority surface lot and a temporary public space set up ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the park is set to be transformed into what the City hails as a "vibrant green space."Before the parking lot can be converted into a park, the two-stage design competition will call on landscape architecture and design firms from across the globe to forge visions for this mostly barren expanse of asphalt.The competition's first stage will see teams submit their qualifications by Friday, Nov. 28, after which, City officials will comb through the qualifications and work experience of the b...

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3 w. ago Toronto park about to close for 5 years or possibly even longer

A Toronto park is about to close for a lengthy five-year period — or possibly even longer, based on the dismal track record of transit projects in this city.The Gerrard-Carlaw Parkette and dog off-leash area (DOLA), located at the southwest corner of the intersection across from legendary Caribbean restaurant The Real Jerk, is set to close as early as Tuesday, Nov. 4, to accommodate a major transit project.The park and attached DOLA are just a few of the local amenities being displaced to make way for the new Gerrard Station on the upcoming $27 billion Ontario Line.A long-planned missing link in Toronto's rapid transit network, the Ontario Line will run for 15.6 kilometres, with 15 stations and new connections with the future Line 5 Eglinton, Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, and Line 1 Yonge-University.That long-term gain is going to require some shorter-term pain in areas of future stations, though. Local residents near Gerrard and Carlaw have already lost a local mall to make way ...

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