Junction Triangle

On Monday November 14th at 8:00am, there will be a memorial for Jenna Morrison, the cyclist who was killed by a truck on November 7th. The memorial will take place where she perished, at the corner of Dundas St. West and Sterling Rd. (southern end of West Toronto Railpath).

A local group of neighbourhood cyclists are riding down together:

"Hello friends and neighbours,
A number of people will be riding down the railpath to attend the vigil for Jenna. The meet-up is happening at Dupont & the railpath shortly after 7:30 and we will leave at around 7:40/45. Please come and join us if you can."

Cyclists riding from other parts of the city are meeting at Bloor and Spadina at 7:30 to ride over to the memorial site.

The memorial has been organized by Advocacy For Respect for Cyclists.

Some more details about Jenna and this heartbreaking incident can be found in the National Post.

Ms. Morrison was married and the mother of a three-year-old son according to one source. She was expecting her second child.
The crumpled mass of bits of steel that had been Ms. Morrison’s bicycle and a trailer in which she pulled her son, which lay at the scene Monday night, included a child’s bike helmet hanging from the handlebars, with a Spiderman design on it.

There will be a meeting regarding proposed re-zoning and development of 2376 Dundas St. West, which is the plot of land immediately north of the Crossways Mall / Towers at Dundas and Bloor. Although this is just outside of the Junction Triangle and Ward 18, local residents may be interested.

The following meeting info comes from Ward 14 City Councillor Gord Perks' website:

Community Meeting for the Proposed Redevelopment of 2376 Dundas Street West

On October 20th, 2011, there will be a pre-application community meeting taking place at 1573 Bloor Street West (Lithuanian Hall) in Hall B on the 1st Floor. The meeting will run from 7:00PM – 8:30PM.

Representatives from Urban Strategies Inc., and Lormel Homes will be providing a presentation and answering questions about their development plans. Currently, plans for the site propose a mixed us development with a 29 story tower, 3 story podium and an 8 story building. Make sure to attend and find out more information.

This meeting is a great opportunity to contribute ideas, express concerns and have questions answered by the developers and City planning staff.

For more information please see the attached flyer: Dundas West Info Session Flyer. Oct 20 2011

Hope to see everyone out!

Meeting notice from Metrolinx:

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE

DUNDAS WEST-BLOOR MOBILITY HUB STUDY

Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario, is helping transform the way the region moves by championing and delivering mobility solutions for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

Background

The Big Move, Metrolinx’s Regional Transportation Plan for the GTHA, imagines a future in which key transit stations become mobility hubs. Mobility hubs consist of major transit stations and the surrounding area. They serve a critical function in the regional transportation system as the origin, destination, or transfer point for a significant portion of trips. They are places of connectivity where different modes of transportation – from walking to riding transit – come together seamlessly and where there is an intensive concentration of working, living, shopping and/or playing.

The Dundas West-Bloor Mobility Hub Study

We are conducting a study on the proposed Dundas West-Bloor Mobility Hub. The study includes the development of a plan to better integrate existing GO Transit and TTC services, as well as provide a design foundation for future major upgrades to GO Transit and TTC service, and a stop on the Union-Pearson Air Rail Link.

The study builds closely on the findings of the Bloor-Dundas Avenue Study prepared by Brook McIlroy and commissioned by the City of Toronto in 2009.

The Open House

You’re invited to attend our open house to find out more about this study.

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Venue: Lithuanian House, 1573 Bloor Street West

The following notice was sent out by Metrolinx to inform the community of upcoming road closures on Dupont St. between Osler and Dundas (under the tracks), and along the West Toronto Railpath above Dupont St. You can download the original PDF of this notice here.

GEORGETOWN SOUTH PROJECT

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

The Georgetown South (GTS) Project will provide infrastructure improvements to meet existing GO Transit ridership demand and future growth. It will also accommodate the new Air Rail Link service between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

Dupont Street Bridge

Road Closures: December 15 (Overnight) and 17-19

Project Description
The Dupont Street bridge currently has five tracks. As part of the GTS Project, a new bridge span will be installed between the existing GO tracks and the West Toronto Rail Path bridge to accommodate one additional track. The work will involve modifying the existing concrete abutments, constructing a new steel pier, and installing the new steel beam span.

Check out this short video by Adeyemi Adegbesan and Colin Stanton, filmed locally in our neighbourhood, on Dundas St., the Wallace Ave. footbridge, and on the Railpath just below the bridge. "Traveling Violations" isn't about forgetting your passport or missing your train, but more about "traveling" in the basketball sense of the word. Check it out.

You can watch the video embedded above, or go directly to the Youtube page for it.

Wallace Ave. Bridge: Photo by Vic Gedris, 2010-04-16

They say "a picture is worth a thousand words".

I was walking home from the Dundas West subway station on Friday evening and decided to take this photo from the Dundas St. side of the Wallace Ave. pedestrian bridge. I always enjoy the view from here, especially since it contains two of our neighbourhood's most iconic sights: The bridge itself, and the old G.E. Water Tower near Lansdowne Ave.

When I came home and took a closer look at the photo, it struck me that there are many things going on within the frame of this picture. Little bits of history, neighbourhood icons, and changes that are happening rapidly. Here's what I spotted. Maybe there are some things I missed?

Are you interested in old photos of our neighbourhood, and watching how this area has changed over time? Well, then keep an eye on this website, as I will be posting a collection of "Then and Now" photos. Most of the historical photos will be from the City of Toronto Archives, and current photos taken by current local photographers. Many of these were previously on display at the Perth-Dupont branch of the Toronto Public Library as part of the Fuzzy Boundaries project.

Do you have any old photos of this neighbourhood? Please feel free to get in touch if you're willing to share them!

This comparison is from the southern tip of our neighbourhood at the intersection of Dundas St. and Sterling Rd. The old photo is from 1923, and the modern one was taken in 2009. The water tower is gone, streetcars are now in mixed traffic rather than in their own right-of-way on the north side of the street, and there are more trees. The Tower Automotive building still stands tall, although it is vacant inside. In the grand scheme of things, the view at this point hasn't changed too much!

THEN:
March 21 1923: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 1628

Looking north from the intersection of Dundas St. West and Sterling Rd. This is a modern version of this photo from 1923.

Photo by Vic Gedris, 2009-10-18.

The following notice comes from the West Bend Community Association and Friends of Dundas and Bloor:

Make Your Views Known at the OMB Hearing for
1540 Bloor Street West (Giraffe)

The OMB hearing for 1540 Bloor Street West (the Giraffe building) will be held January 19th – 21st, and Jan 25th - 29th, 2010, at the OMB office at 655 Bay Street, Suite 1600, beginning at 10:00 am. If possible we would like you to attend Tuesday to show a strong community presence.

Archival citation Series 71, Item 9506

Title Dundas St West and Glenlake Ave, looking north-ward, case #4891, O.G. Miller, head-on collission with Carlton car, fatal

Author or Creator Alfred Pearson

Date(s) of creation of record(s) October 23, 1932

Physical description of record(s) 1 photoprint : b&w ; 13 x 18 cm. - 1 photonegative : glass, b&w ; 13 x 18 cm

Forms part of Fonds 16; Toronto Transit Commission fonds

Series 71; Central photography series of the Toronto Transit Commission