By Over a hundred people attended a massive group scream event in Toronto this past weekend Held in Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday the Group Scream Event was orchestrated by Grace Turner a local musician who designed the cathartic gathering because “I need a scream As a result of this immensely relatable call to action scores of individuals poured into the middle of Trinity Bellwoods’s sunken valley colloquially known as ‘the dog bowl.’ and fill out a name tag detailing why they were there and who “I experienced my first heartbreak a couple of months ago and I really wanted to scream,” Turner told YourcitywithIN.com Turner organized the event to air out her feelings and get the word out on her new single aptly titled “Learning to Miss You.” numerous Torontonians — young and old — showed up in solidarity and let out one massive primal cry to the clouds after a massive group countdown and vendors even handed out ice cream to attendees in an effort to cool the crowd down after such a high-octane interaction As for her reaction to so many people showing up and the good it did for the community “I think that a big topic of conversation has been mental health leading up to this and I think that especially this has been a cathartic healing experience for everyone — I know it has for me.” If you're feeling stressed lately, forget screaming into your pillow, because a Toronto artist is inviting you to unleash your rage, sorrow, or stress in the open with hundreds of others as part of a local "group scream." On Saturday, May 3, Trinity Bellwoods Park will echo with more than just bird chirping and weekend chatter thanks to Grace Turner, the voice behind the music project City Builders The group scream is set to be a communal release of collective frustration The scream-along comes just before Turner's debut single "Learning to Miss You," which drops on May 6 "emotional" and "gut-wrenching," and is a raw ballad born from the pain of a recent breakup Turner announced the group scream on her social media channels thinking that others might also be in need of a good scream Nearly 500 people have already RSVPed to the event which is set to be held in the pit of Trinity Bellwoods Park at 6:30 p.m Another 150 have marked themselves as "maybe," and aside from screaming participants can expect to fill out a sticker at the event that reads "I'm screaming because…" Turner emphasized that the event is meant to be cathartic The location was recently moved to the pit of the park as part of an effort to respect the area's neighbours Turner was immediately inundated with requests to host similar scream events in Brantford which led her to joke about launching an unofficial Scream Tour I'm coming," one comment reads "Not gonna lie this sounds therapeutic." or just need to shout into the void with strangers Trinity Bellwoods Park might just be the place you find healing this weekend Pheelings media/Shutterstock.com You will also start receiving the Star's free morning newsletter Two drivers collided at Dundas Street and Ossington Avenue just after 9:30 a.m. A major intersection and streetcar tracks have been cleared after a Saturday morning collision in the Trinity-Bellwoods area Two drivers collided at Dundas Street and Ossington Avenue just after 9:30 a.m. The 505 streetcar was blocked in both directions at the intersection Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account To welcome spring, Dove partners with On Third Thought Gelato to launch its new Plant Milk Body Washes and Cleansing Bars TORONTO, April 16, 2025 /CNW/ - Rushed showers are OUT, and ultra-indulgent ones are IN thanks to the NEW Dove Plant Milk Body Washes and Cleansing Bars. To celebrate the launch, Dove Canada is partnering with Toronto-based, vegan-friendly gelato brand, On Third Thought you can treat yourself to a tasty scoop of limited-edition gelato and take home a sample of the Dove Plant Milk Berry Brûlée Body Wash to use in the shower inspired by the new body wash and cleansing bar scents: Almond Milk & Green Apple the Dove Plant Milk Gelato Bar will pop-up in Toronto over seven days bringing its dreamy gelato-and-body-wash experience to these popular Toronto locations: the Dove Plant Milk Gelato Bar will make a special final stop at the Gen-Z loved Toronto event series Here, invited partygoers can scoop up a body wash sample try bespoke Dove Plant Milk-inspired cocktails we all deserve a little treat — whether it's a scoop of creamy gelato or a dreamy everything shower," said Divya Singh "The Dove Plant Milk Gelato Bar is bringing a little joy to people's day with not one little pick-me-ups that they can enjoy on the spot and then at home This indulgently sensorial body wash and bar collection is sulfate and paraben free making it the perfect addition to anyone's self-care routine." The new Dove Plant Milk Collection Body Washes and Cleansing Bars are made with nutrient-rich plant milk blends and ultra-moisturizing formulas packed with plant-powered ingredients and craveable fragrances — all designed to transform your shower into a sensorial escape About DoveDove started its life in 1957 in the US with its patented blend of mild cleansers and ¼ moisturizing cream and it is proof not promises that enabled Dove to grow from a Beauty Bar into one of the world's most beloved beauty brands Women have always been our inspiration and since the beginning we have been wholly committed to providing superior care to all women and to championing real beauty in our advertising That beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety Dove mission is to inspire women everywhere to develop a positive relationship with the way they look and realize their personal potential for beauty.For more than 65 years Dove has been committed to broadening the narrow definition of beauty in the work they do With the 'Dove Real Beauty Pledge,' Dove vows to: Media Contact: Amandine Lucas, [email protected] Do not sell or share my personal information: Previous asking price: $1,998,000 (September Previous selling price: $1,040,000 (September including upscale appliances and a new sink and pot filler in the kitchen.Keller Williams Referred Urban Realty This four-bedroom house about 100 metres from Trinity Bellwoods Park was recently gutted and redesigned a look that pleased families and first-time buyers who toured the space in September The seller considered two offers and negotiated one up to $2.108-million and it’s really hard to find a house like this that is brand new and never lived in,” said agent Andrew Ipekian “You never know how things are going to go on the market as things keep on shifting constantly there was a renewed sentiment on the market that caused people to come in and purchase the house.” Original brick walls were restored in many areas including the living room.Keller Williams Referred Urban Realty This semi-detached house has numerous updates including new floor-to-ceiling windows in some bedrooms and upscale appliances and a new sink and pot filler in the kitchen This largest bedroom opens to a rooftop deck a living room and bedroom in addition to secondary laundry facilities and a front entrance to the 18- by 86-foot grounds The largest bedroom opens to a rooftop deck.Keller Williams Referred Urban Realty “It had a tremendous amount of space for a narrow home with three floors above ground “People loved the aesthetic and functionality.” such as a floating staircase with lights that automatically turn on as you walk up “The atrium on the main floor had double-height ceilings and skylights so that was a big selling feature that brought a lot of natural light into the house.” Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate If you do not see your comment posted immediately it is being reviewed by the moderation team and may appear shortly We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted UPDATED: Read our community guidelines here We have closed comments on this story for legal reasons or for abuse. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions It's the most beautiful time of year — cherry blossom season in Toronto The blossoms are starting to bloom all over the city the displays of flowers draw in some massive crowds People come from all over to see the pink and white blooms at hot spots such as High Park and Trinity Bellwoods If you're willing to venture off from the usual locations for something a little lesser known this smaller area still has beautiful views of the blooms A post shared by U of T Scarborough (UTSC) 🇨🇦 (@utsc) While there may be a handful of students here the crowds are much smaller than the downtown ones Fifty trees can be found in front of the Humanities Wing at 1265 Military Trail The John P Robarts Research Library is located on the corner of Harbord and Huron streets at 130 St The path outside the library is lined with 70 cherry blossom trees to check out Head to North York to check out the blooms at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre with more on the north side of the building This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page floors have been redesigned and new spaces created.Geoff Parkin/Geoff Parkin/GP Photo This two-bedroom row house near Trinity Bellwoods Park had a constant stream of visitors Among the potential buyers lined up outside for open houses hosted over one weekend in October was one set of buyers who ignored the announced day set aside to look at offers and presented a quick bully offer $151,000 over the asking price and it’s a beautiful house,” said agent Nutan Brown “The buyers came through the open house on Saturday and revisited on Sunday and decided this was the house they wanted They submitted a pre-emptive offer at a price point my sellers were willing to accept.” The house has open living and dining areas.Geoff Parkin/Geoff Parkin/GP Photo such as a four-piece bathroom in a former third bedroom upstairs complete with open living and dining areas and a recreation area below with cork flooring and a second bathroom The kitchen's full-height sliding doors open up to the back yard.Geoff Parkin/Geoff Parkin/GP Photo “People are looking for that third bedroom it worked out fine because [the sellers] took space from one bedroom and a made much larger and captured the remaining space for a walk-in closet for the primary bedroom.” Buyers also liked improvements made to the kitchen which included full-height sliding doors to the yard “[The new doors] made the outdoor space almost part of the indoor space,” Ms and the plantings have grown to a nice size.” and it's brought with it one of the city's most stunning natural sights: the annual cherry blossom bloom While we're likely still a week or so out from the city's most iconic Sakura trees at High Park hitting their peak bloom, there are plenty of other spots in the city that the breathtaking pink trees also call home If you just can't wait to feast your eyes (and Instagram feed) on the springy sight, you now have the opportunity at the University of Toronto's Robarts Library A delicate, sweet adornment to an otherwise imposing building at Harbord and St. George, the trees are annually among the first in the city to reveal their flowers Local photographer and sakura enthusiast Henry Huy has been keeping an eye out for the flowers so you don't have to capturing stunning images of the very first flowers to reveal themselves for the 2025 season We're still in the early stages of the bloom so the weekend ahead will prove a perfect time to check out the action but peak bloom will likely fall around Monday you can expect to see trees blooming at spots in the city If you're worried about timing your trip perfectly to see the blooms, don't. Lucky for Toronto, we have resident experts like Henry and Sakura Steve keeping the city's residents up to date on the latest developments TorontoPeak cherry blossom bloom is about to begin in Toronto. Here’s where you can see itBy Phil TsekourasOpens in new window and Laura SebbenOpens in new windowPublished: April 14 and a new guide has everything you need to know about when and where to take in the popular spring-time sighting The High Park Nature Centre has relaunched its “Cherry Blossom Watch” for the 2025 season and said that the blossoms in the west-end Toronto park were in the fourth stage of the bloom development process Stage four means the “peduncles” - or flower stems - are getting longer and the individual blossoms can be clearly seen which typically occurs between late April and early May and happens when at least 70 pert cent of the blossoms have opened Peak bloom can last anywhere from four to 10 days and is weather dependent calm weather can extend the period while warm the City of Toronto is predicting that the trees will reach peak bloom later this week due to rising temperatures “Cherry Blossom season is a magical and popular experience for Torontonians,” the High Park Nature Centre’s acting executive director Rohith Rao said in a news release “Cherry Blossom Watch is one of the many ways we promote awareness and respect for nature and build stronger lasting connections between people and the natural world around them.” aren’t indigenous to Toronto and were first planted in High Park more than 60 years ago presented 2,000 Japanese Somei-Yoshino Sakura trees to the citizens of Toronto on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo in 1959 The trees were planted in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War High Park is the most popular location in the city for nature-goers to view peak bloom cherry blossom trees are also located in Trinity Bellwoods Park The Exhibition Place grounds and some University of Toronto and York University campuses also house some trees The City of Toronto has mapped out a full list of where to view cherry blossoms across the city online. Tens of thousands of people are expected to visit High Park to view this year’s peak bloom. The city says to manage the volume, there will be no vehicle access or parking inside High Park starting Mon. May 5 for the duration of peak bloom. They’re reminding visitors that vehicle access and parking inside High Park is regularly prohibited during the weekends. The city is also reminding those looking to view the blossoms to refrain from climbing the trees, pulling their branches and plucking off the blooms as it can cause damage. Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved Listing agents: Irene Kaushansky and Philip Brown The main floor has a formal dining room and a living room.Keller Williams Portfolio Realty This three-bedroom Victorian backing onto Fred Hamilton Playground – and up the street from Trinity Bellwoods Park – had more than two dozen visitors over one week and nearly 50 groups between three open houses hosted this summer Agent Irene Kaushanksy was impressed by the turnout “We were really looking to see what the reaction and feedback would be,” said Ms so the level of interest we had was better than one would have expected.” The sellers were also pleased to get $118,000 more than the asking price for the meticulously maintained we price things reasonably fairly instead of going unnecessarily low,” Ms “The Victorian façade and character of the home were certainly very special The main floor has leaded glass windows.Keller Williams Portfolio Realty This two-storey row house and a detached garage occupy a 14- by 118-foot lot that fronts onto a one-way street and backs onto a laneway The main floor has a formal dining room and a living room with crown mouldings and leaded glass windows the kitchen opens to a den with sliding doors to a deck and patio The second floor has three bedrooms and the larger of two full bathrooms The basement has a secondary kitchen and two recreation areas The kitchen opens to a den with sliding doors to a deck and patio.Keller Williams Portfolio Realty “The fact it had two separate entrances to the basement and there was already a kitchen and bathroom down there Cherry blossoms across Toronto could begin their 2025 bloom within the coming week as warmer temperatures and sunny days finally appear here to stay After a clunky start to spring, with snowstorms surprising Toronto residents well into March and cold snaps stalling the growth of plant life in the city the warmer weather appears to truly be here to stay that means populating your social calendar with open-air concerts and patio cocktail plans but it also marks the return of one of Toronto's most spectacular natural sights: the annual cherry blossom bloom at High Park While it can be tricky to time your trips out just right so that you catch the blossoms in peak form Toronto's resident cherry blossom expert keeping sakura enthusiasts informed with comprehensive updates on their development the bloom may just be upon us sooner rather than later After chilly weather earlier in the month pumped the brakes on the blooms' development progress appears to be back on track for a full bloom landing in late April or early May In his latest update Steve observes that the buds in much of the park have progressed into Stage 3 meaning that the florets have begun to show.  "With double-digit days forecast for the next week or so they should continue to progress and develop into Stage 4 over the next couple of weeks," he writes coupled with this spring's relatively chilly temperature trends that High Park's cherry blossoms could be blooming anywhere between April 29 and May 9 for 2025 High Park isn't the only place in the city where you can see the baby pink spectacle this spring Broadacres Park and Toronto Island Park all also have their own Sakura trees many of which typically bloom a touch earlier than their High Park cousins breathtaking cherry blossom season in Toronto with your own eyes you'll want to keep your finger on the pulse CP24 BreakfastTrinity Bellwoods all about apple pie this weekendThe neighbourhood is holding its Annual Apple Pie Contest and Fundraiser tomorrow, all in support of St. Stephen's Community House. It's pretty difficult as a Toronto local to walk through Trinity Bellwoods Park on any given sunny summer day without literally stumbling over someone you know Once the warm weather comes around, the downtown green space serves as one of, if not the most popular in the city for everything from dog-watching and beer-drinking to slacklining and farmer's markets, from games of softball and Spikeball to birthday picnics and drum circles — really any type of outdoor hangout you can think of this may be the last summer that we experience the park as it currently is as the City is gearing up to make some changes to the expanse bordered by Dundas Notices have now been posted around the neighbourhood asking residents to participate in the new Trinity Bellwoods Park Access & Circulation Study which will help inform upcoming renovations of the 14.6-hectare property Of particular concern to the City is the park's pathways and entrances along with its overall "functionality To provide input, people are invited to utilize a special interactive mapping app through the City's website (also available via QR codes on posted signage) to detail what they like about the park now along with what they think could improve You can also apply online to become a member of the study's community advisory committee and have even more involvement with the project with public engagement about the project to continue through to the end of the year A full report detailing how work should proceed cool885/Shutterstock.com After a few false starts, there's no denying now that spring has officially sprung in Toronto, and with it comes the return of one of the city's most spectacular sights: the annual cherry blossom bloom in High Park It's been a rollercoaster few weeks for Toronto a summerlike Thursday with temperatures reaching 20 degrees Celsius.  Not that I'm complaining — not about that last part at least — but I couldn't help wondering how the dramatic temperature swings would affect the city's most-anticipated plant life But according to the latest update from Toronto's resident cherry blossom expert High Park's cherry blossoms appear to be utterly unfazed by the unpredictable weather even in spite of nearly every type of weather imaginable being unleashed on the city within a seven-day span buds grow larger and rounder as their tips transition from deep bronze or red to green which we can expect to see in the coming weeks the first sign of the flowers they'll soon become As for Steve's updated prediction for when full bloom might occur his current estimate is for late April to early May falling well within the average time frame of the bloom Full bloom dates can be delayed or sped up by any number of factors so the weather in these coming weeks has the potential to make or break Steve's current predictions which have been planted to replace those which have been damaged in the past adding even more baby pink blooms to the already brimming park It's not just High Park that you should keep your eyes on, though; the breathtaking trees can be found at several locations around the city Robarts Library, Trinity Bellwoods Park and Toronto Island Park a massive unknown object appeared in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park announcing the launch of the brand’s new cereal The 90 KG object was a massive granola cluster that had a similar rocky appearance as a meteorite The object contained between 50 and 100 boxes of the new Two Scoops Raisin Bran Crunch cereal which the brand distributed to park visitors days later co-head of marketing Jeff Chatterton tells Media in Canada that the activation included two phases The first consisted of the object landing in the park without further explanation which generated buzz among Toronto residents and rumors about what it might be the object was opened to reveal the new cereal Kellogg’s wanted to take advantage of the summer (when people are out of the house most of the time) to market the new product and its new texture which is crunchier than the other brand’s cereals The Perseids meteor shower also coincided with the launch thus the team thought it was a good idea to present the cereal as a meteorite that had fallen after an explosion Chatterton adds that the cereal doesn’t change the brand’s positioning but aims to appeal to a broader audience looking for crunchier options Its target audience is Canadians aged 35 to 64 This audience cares about wellness and wants to make intentional choices but also doesn’t want to give up taste or texture The new cereal is now available at major retailers in the country The product launch and activation is being promoted through influencers while MSL Canada handled PR and Leo Burnett was behind the strategy and creative This article was published more than 6 months ago The family of a woman killed by a falling tree branch in one of Toronto’s most popular parks is suing the city for $1-million Pari Nadimi died after being hit on the head in Trinity Bellwoods park in the summer of 2023 causing what the suit calls “a massive brain injury.” Her death came after warnings from a landscape designer who lived nearby that the tree was in a dangerous state killed a man in the same park seven years earlier The suit was filed earlier this month in Ontario Superior Court Its allegations have not been tested and the city has not filed a response A Toronto spokesperson said this week that the city would not discuss continuing litigation The lawyer for the plaintiffs declined comment when reached by phone and said his clients would not be speaking publicly The statement of claim names the plaintiffs as Parvin Nadimi They are seeking damages to compensate for “loss of guidance care and companionship” that they “might reasonably have expected to receive” had she not died Ms. Nadimi ran a contemporary gallery near Trinity Bellwoods, a park on the west side of downtown that attracts large crowds on summer days. On July 25, 2023, the 71-year-old was in the park when the branch came down on her. According to her death notice The lawsuit specifically alleges that the city failed to warn about the danger posed by the tree branch that hit her failed to monitor the safety of trees in the park inappropriate and dangerous tree-pruning practices” and failed to respond to complaints made about this tree by members of the public That final allegation appears to be a reference to concerns raised by Joseph Clement he went public last year to say that he had pointed out more than once to park maintenance staff that the tree had been pruned in a way that raised the risk of the branch falling Clement explained that the branch extended sideways and was bare of small branches along its length This made it more likely to catch the wind this extremely large limb growing out on a very wide angle over this pathway,” said Mr who runs the landscape architecture firm DesignLAND “I talked to some park maintenance guys and I’m like ‘you should tell someone about this someone should look at this,’ and I kind got the yeah-yeah-yeah response … they just kind of brushed me off.” He said he is not involved in the lawsuit and now regrets not further escalating his concerns Toronto sometimes touts itself as a “city within a park” and has approximately 11 million trees. The city takes care of those on public land and its pruning policies include a directive to “maintain structural stability and balance of a tree.” In 2016, another person died under the same kind of tree in Trinity Bellwoods. According to information released at the time by police he and his wife were in the park and he tried to shield her from falling debris And while the schadenfreude for Toronto homeowners going through it is delicious to many there are some cases where it's actually just kinda sad.  five-bathroom home right in the heart of Trinity Bellwoods.  this impeccably designed house with the trendy white oak herringbone floors and soaring 10-foot ceilings would have been snapped up in under a week and likely for more than asking.  But now, it's been re-listed a whopping 10 times.  The living room with a cozy fireplace.  In April 2023, the home was first listed for $5,125,000. But after a month on the market and then it sat for 122 days with no bites One of the bedrooms with built-in closets.  It then proceeded to be listed again and again.. Now, 22 Shannon St. is listed for $3,995,000 And that kind of price cut is undoubtedly eating into any kind of return on investment the owners were expecting.  They purchased the house in 2020 for $1.9 million and creating a home that looks like something straight off a Pinterest board We don't know exactly how much was spent on the luxury renovations of this home but we can imagine it wasn't cheap.   the custom imported Italian kitchen features a Calcatta Vecchio marble island.  The primary bedroom has its own balcony.  The primary bedroom has custom wood panelling and heated floors in the primary bathroom.  There are custom mirrors and built-ins galore.  Integrated appliances and plenty of storage in the kitchen.  there are all-new noise-cancellation windows a new HVAC system with three independent zones a Sonos sound system that has been wired throughout the entire house and there are heated floors in the basement.  The family room walks-out to the backyard.  There are probably even more upgrades that weren't mentioned in the listing.  The owners also redid the backyard and seem to have added in a garage.  But there's some solace in knowing that they aren't the only ones on the street that might not get their money out.  Just last year, 61 Shannon St. took a massive loss when it was sold for only $2.8 million after it was initially listed for $5,398,880 in January 2023 An aerial shot of the primary bedroom balcony.  though; the entire Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood seems to be on the decline as house prices dropped 40 percent from 2023 to 2024.  But maybe realtors' predictions of a better 2025 will mean 22 Shannon St.'s unlucky streak might be over.  realtor.ca Sign In Register TORONTO - An enthusiastic sewist is getting ready to share his love for the craft at the grand opening of a new store next month near Trinity Bellwoods — and he’s only 25 Tobias Binder, a Thornhill native who now lives in Toronto, is currently renovating the space that will be home to Downtown Sewing In addition to leading workshops for sewists of all levels at the store on Walnut Avenue Binder will sell a variety of new and used machines and offer repairs and tune-ups He’s already taken his thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram through his journey into the sewing world tailors and stitchers around Toronto and beyond Within a few hours of releasing the sign-up sheets for his upcoming classes this month Binder said every spot had sold out.  He has two versions of a beginner’s class: One where attendees bring their own machine and another where the machines are provided “I’ll teach them good habits on changing the needle how to use it and how to do basic seams,” he explained they would have made a little tote bag.” Binder is also introducing a couples sewing class where attendees can enjoy a hands-on date night Four couples will each share their own machine and work through Binder’s guided instruction in stitching together a kitchen apron after the grand opening of the retail portion of his store — which takes place on the May 16-18 weekend Binder will have machines on display for the first time for people to test them out threads and zippers will be available for purchase He’s currently doing machine repairs and tune-ups by appointment.  “I’m just trying to keep up with the demand at this point,” he said “All I had to do was take a little leap of faith Binder became fascinated by the craft of making clothes and was gifted with his very first sewing machine from his great aunt Paula in 2019 Finishing a music degree in Guelph at the time he developed a keen interest in vintage sewing machines and eventually started refurbishing and selling them Binder was sewing dozens of masks before he realized his skills could be put to better use “I figured it’d be more useful for me to repair the machines of the people who are sewing masks rather than me adding to the pile,” he said everyone just knew who I was and it turned into a little home business which was really cool.” Binder travelled south and completed a 10-day course in Texas about how to repair sewing machines Hungry to understand the secrets of how the machines worked Binder returned to southern Ontario and got a job with Janome Canada He worked with the sewing company as an educator and eventually as a sales representative he was feeling unsatisfied with his work-life flow and Binder found a desire to start his own business in downtown Toronto the sewing instructor is now on the precipice of cutting the ribbon on his very own store “This seemed like the perfect way to combine all my skills and experience,” he said share my knowledge and be a good member of the community.” It’s no secret that sewing is no longer hailed as the affordable and practical hobby that it used to be Unless a sewist is repairing clothing they already own Binder explained today’s combined costs of fabric buttons and thread will add up far quicker than simply purchasing an item off the rack While younger people may have become more disconnected from each other through the rise in streaming services and social media Binder said that doesn’t necessarily mean Millennials and Gen Z-ers have turned their backs on the craft — particularly in Toronto it seems like there’s a big group of people aged between 24 and 35 who live around here and are very interested in learning how to sew,” he said are yearning for more opportunities to connect with one another Bringing people together who may not have enough outlets in their everyday lives was a huge motivation for him to open his own space it’s very easy to be isolated and not have any community to socialize and to meet people in a natural setting and why it was so important for me to have an accessible location here,” he said a retired school teacher who has been sewing and knitting since she was young has had more than ten of her sewing machines repaired by Binder — some of which were over 100 years old.   she senses his venture is a special opportunity for younger people to get into the sewing scene “By having him in a good location near Trinity Bellwoods people can go and get better and have this joy in their lives that I certainly have had for more than a quarter century now,” she said “Young people aren’t as distant from sewing as it might seem They’d like to be better stewards of the earth and that includes repairing their own things.” Binder and Rogers both agreed: older women dominate the sewing industry Many of the instructor’s customers tend to be mothers and grandmothers who have a lifetime of experience making and repairing items for their families some are surprised when they meet Binder for the first time “A 25-year-old guy doing something like this is highly unusual,” Binder admitted of himself “I think people are interested in that Breaking down the stereotype in what many might imagine a sewing expert would look like Binder is hoping his involvement with the craft will validate and enable other young men and boys to get involved he senses that’s already been happening “I’ve had people who reach out saying he wants to learn how to sew and he’d feel really comfortable seeing another guy like you sew.’ If me being here encourages young men I’m not trying to target any particular demographic Join the thousands of Torontonians who’ve signed up for our free newsletter and get award-winning local journalism delivered to your inbox unhoused people like Davit Sesisheili have gone from park to park and reporting and photography that spans years intimate portrait of Toronto’s failing encampments strategy Davit Sesisheili’s hands are thick and grimy they inspected Toronto mansions—including Drake’s they gripped the wheels of a long-haul truck in Philadelphia and handled thousands of litres of homemade wine in his home country of Georgia they’ve sorted through piles of junk at Clarence Square Park one of the largest homeless encampments in Toronto you could find nearly anything scattered around his tent a chest of harm reduction supplies like pipes and syringes A fat bottle of red wine sat near his tent someone had hung laundry lines and curtains Sesisheili is one of the most resourceful salvagers around and other life essentials are taken from donation bins around the city “I’ve seen a beautiful life…And I’ve seen a fucked-up life,” the 50-year-old says in a voice so soft that my recorder occasionally struggles to capture it with a scruffy beard and perpetually worried eyes He has a wry sense of humour and an old-school sense of propriety standing to shake our hands whenever we arrive in camp Conditions at Clarence Square can be challenging the well-trodden centre of the camp floods; during heat waves there’s very little shade apart from tent canopies and Sesisheili’s tree There are rat tunnels and garbage everywhere although I never come across a used needle Condo residents have complained of encampment residents defecating sometimes beautiful sense of community among the residents of Clarence Square Park Regardless of their disagreements with each other they’ll unfailingly come running in the event of an overdose and—for better or worse—are quick to close ranks in the face of hostile outsiders including those surreptitiously recording video footage as they walk by Sesisheili is one of the most respected residents in the encampment’s community—someone who sets up total strangers with clothing But we hear stories of his capacity for violence He’s had numerous stints in hospital: infections and treatment for psychosis (which he denies) No one living at Clarence Square Park is eager to cross him we wouldn’t be welcome to roam amongst the tents “I was booked all year,” he says—a rarity in construction and his 11-year-old son went to live with his ex-wife’s sister in Windsor Then he broke his ribs after a fall in a rented house His timeline is fuzzy—Sesisheili doesn’t have a watch and most of his memories are defined by seasons which is not uncommon for those experiencing long-term homelessness What he knows is he ended up at a shelter at 545 Lakeshore Blvd and then began living unhoused near the grain silos on Toronto’s waterfront Sesisheili will never stay in a shelter again—no part of it works for him The same was true for most of the people we spoke to sometimes ill people living on the street can be chaotic despite the City’s best efforts to expand and manage shelter spaces many saw alarming spikes in violence and harm: a 6.3 percent rise in physical assault a 216 percent increase in suspected overdoses around the time Kozak first began photographing the city’s unhoused population Sesisheili was living at Trinity Bellwoods Park Kozak photographed him at his new home under the Bathurst Street bridge to live in some of the biggest encampments in the city: Alexandra Park Sesisheili’s movements have followed the ebb and flow of the city’s unhoused population through the downtown parks and encampments that grow until they’re quashed by police as well as other homeless residents of the city—familiar faces that came and went at these parks Kozak and I spent months getting to know the people living in Clarence Square Park We pored over comprehensive new data obtained from the City on the population changes of Toronto’s biggest encampments And we spoke with encampment residents from across the city to try to understand how homelessness has changed over the past five years in Canada’s biggest city as familiar as the cherry-red 501 Queen streetcar The City has largely stepped away from dispatching waves of police officers and private security guards to violently clear encampments like those at Clarence Square Park they’ve promised enhanced outreach to bigger camps: robust mental health supports and it quickly becomes obvious how little has changed since the City’s supposed “action plan” took effect encampment residents are moved into shelters with little chance of landing a permanent home spreading further into the city’s uncramped inner suburbs are quickly cleared by security before they get a chance to grow Handing out sandwiches and clean needles is certainly better than nothing but most unhoused people will tell you they need a home of their own and many residents at Clarence Square Park have waited a while—or simply don’t trust the options they’ve been given It isn’t hard to see why encampment residents “When you’re in the swamp,” Sesisheili tells us Ontario’s premier was hell-bent on cutting red tape and a couple of supportive city councillors did what they could A local architect designed modular prefabricated houses for residents evicted by police from the Home Depot lot in 2003 The people who were trying to fix this problem as activists years ago are still struggling to do so today. The architect, John van Nostrand, is now the senior director of Two Steps Home a nonprofit focused on building “cabin communities” in Toronto to end homelessness a longtime street nurse who campaigned at Tent City is into her third decade of advocating for homeless Torontonians One of the two supportive councillors was Olivia Chow oversees a city overwhelmed by homelessness a favoured spot for unhoused Torontonians was in the bush along Rosedale Valley Road where “you’re less likely to get cleared,” says Sanctuary Toronto outreach worker Greg Cook Cook and I inched our way up and down the steep ravine on paths carved into the brush by habitual visitors We find signs of life under the buttresses of the Bloor Viaduct: discarded beer cans city workers routinely kicked unhoused people out of these spots the City said it conducted roughly 700 evictions—the highest in a decade The rise of Toronto’s unhoused population is the result of a multitude of factors all converging at once: an ongoing rise in housing prices many of whom were already living hand to mouth the number of first-timers in the shelter system started to increase Within a four-month period from July to October 2021 the number of first-time shelter users in Toronto nearly doubled to around 6,700 more than 1,300 people contracted COVID-19 in Toronto shelters during the first two waves of the pandemic over 10,100 Torontonians became homeless for the very first time For those already living in encampments—some unknown portion of the 12,000 estimated Torontonians with no fixed address—the past few years have been spent surviving as best they can through heat waves award-winning journalism thanks to the generous support of readers you're contributing to a new kind of journalism—in-depth from corners of Toronto too often overlooked Toronto was hosting some of the largest encampments in the city’s recent history in part through Freedom of Information request The City doesn’t comprehensively record the average number of tents or people in every park per week or month It’s difficult to keep track of everyone across Toronto’s 1,500 or so parks and greenspaces the City was able to provide the average number of tents per month for the top 25 most populous parks What is clear is that Toronto’s homelessness problem isn’t getting any better “Cities across Canada are experiencing rising numbers of encampments due to insufficient income supports ongoing shelter capacity pressures and social crises like mental health and drug toxicity,” says Gord Tanner general manager of Toronto Shelter and Support Services Crackdowns on encampment residents had been happening from the very beginning and residents receiving trespass notices and risking tens of thousands of dollars in fines Sesisheili was kicked out of Trinity Bellwoods and Lamport Stadium But the most violent clearings conducted by the City took place in a single week in June 2021 Hundreds of City-hired security guards and police officers effectively laid siege to these encampments hemming in two dozen residents and scores of protestors between city fencing broadcast live on TV to horrified city residents haunts the City of Toronto’s encampment response to this day The resulting displacement of unhoused people in the city is apparent in the data the City claims it doesn’t demolish encampments any longer but provided a link in its statement to its Interdivisional Protocol for Encampments in Toronto which includes steps on how to enforce trespass notices This includes the demolition of structures present at an encampment “This action begins only in cases where there is an immediate public health or safety risk to people in the encampment or the surrounding communities; or after extensive support efforts have been unsuccessful and an individual continues to decline referrals to shelter space or meaningful work on a housing plan,” the City said in its statement The number of people encamped in city parks has grown in the last year. Data from March of this year revealed there were more than 200 tents across 72 parks at the time compared to 82 tents across 24 parks the same time last year But the large-scale encampments seen in the summer of 2021 are largely gone smaller encampments are slowly growing in number Many are popping up farther from the downtown core and community centre properties across Toronto’s suburbs are increasingly host to residents unable to live anywhere else Others are used by people who have truly nothing: not a home Nestled into a leafy postwar suburb in North York Goulding Park is an odd place to find an encampment a major shopping centre near Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue when we drive through the deserted suburban streets on a scorching hot mid-June day including one propped up against the wall of the park’s community centre a small crowd clustered around a charcoal barbeque Encampments were once considered a downtown phenomenon just two of the top 25 biggest encampments—at Caledonia Park and G Ross Lord Park—were found north of Bloor Street at least eight encampments met this criteria was one of the city’s most populous encampments this spring the most recent data provided to The Local the City’s list of most significant encampments included Crawford Jones Memorial also hosts a few regulars who don’t have homes muscular man with long black hair in a ponytail staggers around at one point asking me in a very soft voice to go with him to the LCBO a broad-chested white man in a polo shirt who helps Charlie and the others cook people like Dmitri and Charlie and Eugene hang out to drink This crowd is completely different from the downtown encampments I’ve seen Charlie says he lives with his mother; I later find out from Vicky Sanderson that many of the people here live in public housing and hang out at the park during the summer to cool off Many of them also have close ties to the area a weathered 63-year-old landscaper whom I’ll call Mark (a pseudonym grew up in the Yonge and Steeles neighbourhood after his landlord kicked him out for drinking too much He tells us he goes through a 26-ounce bottle of vodka a day although he’s looking to quit drinking the same way he quit crack cocaine nearly 15 years ago He swings intermittently between irritation and a weathered gentleness when we talk and I don’t think Kozak or I ever see him fully sober Then he wanders over to Goulding Park to drink and spend time with his friends and has no interest in moving to a downtown encampment “I know people that own restaurants,” Mark tells us wearily lying on his side at Goulding Park “I can get a pizza anytime I want.” But the last time we see him he tells us he’s working with a caseworker to secure housing living unhoused in some unseen corner of North York is harsher than a downtown encampment While there are drop-in centres and food banks there are far fewer places to crash at odd hours neither of them in possession of a sleeping bag All that spared them from the elements is the car wash’s wall and some nearby foliage Vicky Sanderson started noticing piles of clothing and food containers at Goulding Park back in 2015 there are people living at the park,” the volunteer tells me at a drop-in lunch in the lower hall of Cummer Avenue United Church Cheng’s office emphasized the councillor’s commitment to listening to all sides of the issue “Encampments are a growing concern across our city This can be shocking for many community members for whom this has not been the norm…Our office tries to listen to residents’ concerns while learning about the needs of the unhoused from outreach workers to find a way forward,” the statement read “People are regularly sleeping outside,” Sanderson says “There are folks whose teeth are falling apart.” “and the community response is that we’re not supposed to [have] poor people in Willowdale They’re not supposed to be here.” She isn’t hyperbolic Two days before Kozak and I visited Cummer Avenue United Church city staff had evicted the encampment at Goulding Park These smaller encampments are fairly discrete compared to places like Clarence Square Park the City quickly stomps them out before they can grow neighbourhoods separated by just a few TTC stops can be worlds apart in terms of how residents experience life Our latest issue is an unprecedented deep-dive into this city’s disparities—on everything from health and housing to who makes 3-1-1 complaints I watch as city staff assemble to bulldoze a makeshift shelter at Marilyn Bell Park on a strip of lakeshore greenery on the south end of Parkdale who shared the shelter with Kal and a handful of others you could see the home built by Kal and a former roofer named Robert from the breakwater off the park shore Terra had once swum out there to bask on the rocks elongated hut made of two-by-fours and bound together with thousands of zip-ties “I kept her clean for a whole year,” Kal tells me The enforcement of these one-off evictions is haphazard seemingly subject to the mood of the enforcing officer and the force of the protestors that rally against them Kal had received an earlier eviction notice last winter On the morning the City planned to bulldoze Kal’s home a group of grassroots encampment defenders including members of a group called Voices for Unhoused Liberation “I would fight for it,” he says of the shelter These evictions tend to go down in similar ways workers with Toronto Shelter and Support Services will offer residents shelter spaces Parks and Recreation workers bring in dump trucks and sometimes a heavy mover known as “the claw,” to destroy any shelters is that the City doesn’t offer the residents any good options “People might not realize they’re getting sent to a shelter in Etobicoke,” he tells me “They’re getting sent to a shelter where they’re sleeping in a room with 30 or 40 other people And they don’t have a choice.” Kal tells me he has a number of health problems and uses a sleep apnea machine that isn’t easy to hook up in a shelter In the aftermath of the catastrophic summer 2021 encampment evictions there’s a sense of spectacle attached to tent clearings City workers muster around the perimeter near Kal’s shelter while he chats with two bicycle-mounted police officers from the neighbourhood liaison unit None of this was apparent to the cyclists racing along the Martin Goodman Trail in spandex bodysuits seemingly ignorant of the eviction scheduled to happen ugly disagreement between Kal and the advocates Kal was told he’d have another five days to leave When Kozak returned to Marilyn Bell Park the following week he found a patch of dirt with bulldozer tread marks and no sign of a tent It had taken the City at least two visits from an enforcement officer several hours on the clock by multiple city staff and neighbourhood cops and the heavy machinery of trucks and bulldozers new residents show up to Clarence Square Park and other encampments across the city a baby-faced 32-year-old who used to work as a delivery driver for Amsterdam Brewery he’s only a week and a half into his stay at Clarence Square and only a few weeks into being “on the road” at all His former landlord didn’t let him renew his lease and the Landlord Tenant Board doesn’t hold hearings quickly I can do this for a month,” he tells Nick and I and realized he wouldn’t get a bed anytime soon A local told Nate he’d been calling for a shelter spot for a week straight with no luck “There aren’t as many beds available as people think,” Nate says shelter intake staff have had to turn away more than 230 callers a night he heard about the Clarence Square Park encampment and moved his belongings with a two-wheeled foldable shopping cart He now sleeps in a tiny one-person tent on the perimeter of the encampment When a newcomer arrives at Clarence Square Park a 28-year-old English literature major who can often be found browsing the Indigo at The Well But she’s lived at Clarence Square Park for about eight months and has been without a home since the fall of 2020 and to lose an apartment in Little Italy during a split with an abusive boyfriend because she couldn’t afford it Michelle acts as a combination of organizer She tells me she hasn’t slept in three days Encampments are as much a health problem as they are a housing problem the last time the City of Toronto conducted its Street Needs Assessment—a survey of unhoused people including encampment residents—roughly half said they had mental health issues like depression or PTSD Just over 40 percent admitted having a substance use issue and a fifth cited cognitive conditions like ADHD Most are dealing with at least two of these conditions at once Two of the residents I’m introduced to at Clarence Square Park are dealing with meth-induced psychosis friendly but prone to conversations that are impossible to follow these problems are why encampments exist in the first place with Clarence Square Park’s muddy ground before us After the disastrous outcome of the encampment evictions in the summer of 2021 A scathing report published by Toronto Ombudsman Kwame Addo in 2023 condemned the decision to rapidly clear encampments as rushed and injurious and as having created a widespread public perception that Toronto’s city government hated the homeless alongside many of the other activists we spoke to pointedly blamed the “capitalist hellscape” for both the conditions of encampments and the city’s response to them Advocates saw the backlash as an opportunity which had seen an eviction earlier that year as a site to advocate for a new approach to encampments in what became known as the Dufferin Grove Pilot Project “They essentially let the encampment be,” explains Jesse Upton an organizer with Encampment Support Network Parkdale The City brought services like medical care with a reported 90 residents receiving shelter But city workers also prevented new residents from moving in And while the Dufferin Grove model seemed much more humane than clearing residents en-masse only 26 of the encampment’s 90 residents actually received permanent housing The majority simply ended up in the shelter system and around 15 residents left shelters for unknown locations Some are believed to be back on the street and City Council endorsed the Dufferin Grove model as a citywide strategy for encampments Clarence Square Park is one of the major encampments chosen to receive enhanced supports from the City through what ward Councillor Ausma Malik calls the Clarence Square Action Plan: daily clean-up crews from the City’s Parks & Recreation department the “permanent ongoing presence” of Streets to Homes workers in the park and additional security guards and fire safety personnel to guard against emergencies is two corporate security guards parked nearby or gazing at their phones or laptops in quiet moments The Action Plan calls for regular clean-up by city workers we see city workers in pickup trucks parked on the grass Encampment residents tell us they do most of the cleaning themselves The two porta potties promised by the City for the residents also never materialize Just one sits on the eastern edge of the camp A replacement is supposed to arrive in November) I dropped by the camp to see two new blue porta potties near Spadina Avenue—but even they weren’t part of the plan they were installed by the City for drunk Jays fans Both were padlocked shut on a Thursday afternoon The stoicism he wore when we first arrived at camp has dropped away He fears that trash is being left near his tent to mess with him “There’s no winning for me out here,” he says Paramedics do drop in to Clarence Square Park for on-site checkups and harm reduction supplies like crack pipes and needles Michelle tells us Streets to Homes workers show up but just spend a few minutes at the site before moving on The shipping container at the northeast corner of the park Michelle’s caseworker has told her she’s a priority case the average wait time for rent-geared-to-income housing for a “priority” applicant is four years For anyone else who happens to be homeless Councillor Malik refused an interview with The Local when approached her office said her efforts are slowly getting encampment residents the help they need given that shelters are at capacity and the long waitlists for affordable housing,” the statement read with 46 people having been referred indoors and 10 of the 13 encampment residents currently working on a housing plan.” The City of Toronto’s 24-Month Housing Recovery and Resilience Plan for 2023 and 2024 is supposed to create 4,000 new affordable and supportive housing opportunities for Sesisheili and every other unhoused person we spoke to for this story the City itself describes this urgent homebuilding initiative as Toronto’s leading path out of homelessness Mayor Olivia Chow’s background is seemingly perfect for resolving encampments with her advocacy all the way back to Tent City According to documents from earlier this summer the City has already managed to provide affordable housing benefits to roughly 3,300 Toronto households But it depends on funding from both the province and the federal government to hit its 4,000-unit target there are almost 93,000 households on the City’s Centralized Waitlist for social housing and more than 12,100 people are being supported in the City’s emergency accommodations and shelters,” the City said in its statement to The Local only 3,000 RGI units become available each year illustrating the disparity between the growing need for subsidized housing and the lack of supply.” but something Kozak had recently told me was bouncing around my head When he’d visited Clarence Square Park the week prior and said he was getting a low-cost cell phone plan available to low-income people That suggested he expected to be kicked out of the park somehow Never before in my career have I experienced such a sense of responsibility to the sources I’ve interviewed for a story I think about Michelle and Sesisheili and Mark—and others not named in this story Kimberley and Tsunami and more—who live outdoors Not four kilometres from the largest encampment in Toronto my neighbours live in multimillion dollar mansions with enough equity to house anyone living outside many times over I am doubtful that anything I’ve written here will meaningfully change the circumstances of those who welcomed Kozak and me into their lives I did a slow circuit of Toronto’s largest encampment in the heat its absence a gaping hole in the landscape of the encampment But then I noticed the bulldozer tread marks in the dry dirt The City had given Sesisheili five days’ warning to clean up his tent and belongings So they’d brought police officers and city workers early in the morning “That’s when the City showed their true faces,” Sesisheili tells me there was a fire at Clarence Square Park in the middle of the night which residents and city staff told Kozak may have been set intentionally by a woman at the camp city crews came to clear away the burnt remains of a tent used as a hangout spot by encampment residents someone told him that Sesisheili had been given a trespass order by the City and was barred from the park Sesisheili had told Kozak and me that in the event of an eviction he’d just move on and find somewhere else to set up An eviction isn’t going to convince a man like Sesisheili hardened against help by his frustrations with the shelter system and his own independent spirit He has been forced to start over so many times—from his own home to the street and even from a City-run affordable housing program it seems Sesisheili’s time outside is no closer to resolution than it was when Kozak first met him four years ago in the first winter of the COVID-19 pandemic The day I went to visit Sesisheili in July he was already preparing to rebuild his collection of belongings after the City clearing nodding off partway through our brief conversation It was only as he walked me to the edge of the encampment to say goodbye that I realized that the City had left Sesisheili 2024—A previous version of this article misidentified Cathy Crowe as a retired street nurse Nick Kozak is a freelance photojournalist whose assignment work regularly appears in the Toronto Star. His photography projects have been supported by the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Nick can be reached at photo@nickkozak.com Our five-year-anniversary issue is an unprecedented deep-dive into this city’s disparities—on everything from health and housing to who makes 3-1-1 complaints The Annex had fewer residents in 2021 than 1971 illogical densification pattern of the last 50 years created today’s Toronto From wealthy neighbours griping about shrubbery to low-income tenants requesting winter heat—a map of 311 requests charts a certain kind of civic engagement Recent analysis by The Local shows just how widespread encampments have become and how the City’s clearing efforts simply pushed unhoused Torontonians from one park to another the first-ever neighbourhood-level analysis of life expectancy in Toronto in the downtown eastside neighbourhood with the lowest life-expectancy in the city This North York neighbourhood has plenty of public amenities and walkable streets But the secret to residents’ good health may have a less expected explanation: immigration Join the thousands of Torontonians who've signed up for our free newsletter and get award-winning local journalism delivered to your inbox non-profit journalism from corners of Toronto too often overlooked We need proper services that are actually assisting with the betterment of the lives of those dealing with these major issues not just warehousing individuals and preventing them from succeeding in life a revolving door justice system and a liberal interpretation of drug laws by judges have all lead to where we are today a society that is lawless and in favour of those who break these laws We’ve reached a very sad day in North American society when we are putting the priorities of traumatized adults over the innocence of children Places designed for kids to play are being used for encampments When did the focus shift from creating spaces that are safe for kids to play to creating places that are dedicated and “safe” for using hard drugs we absolutely must help those suffering with addictions deteriorating mental health and homelessness I applaud the provincial government for prioritizing hubs that provide rehabilitative services These are long-term objectives that should have been the priority for all levels of government since day one of this crisis The Minister of Health and Minister for Mental Health are correct: Ontario does need a lot more capacity for rehab and treatment services our municipalities are shackled by court decisions and we are lacking the power to enforce our own laws The result of the court cases in Waterloo and Kingston both undermine the bylaws of our municipalities to maintain a clean and safe environment in our cities Threats of charges under human rights laws are being felt by municipal leaders Inaction on encampments has resulted in the proliferation of encampments Its time for provincial & federal governments to step up and weigh in on court cases that have resulted in the increase in crime and the decrease of the public feeling safe Police need the ability to police our neighbourhoods Judges need to be given the proper direction and tools to enforce the laws I alongside many other mayors are calling on both senior levels of government to: Governments cannot sit on the sidelines while the courts write legislation The notwithstanding clause is a tool that is available to restore municipal governments’ ability to maintain order and safety but at least give our mayors the opportunity to move forward and protect our cities’ most innocent and vulnerable citizens all options are on the table to ensure our children walking to school are safe in each and every park We ask other levels of government to do the same Consider every option available to restore safe parks and safe neighbourhoods while helping those who have lost their way opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author’s alone They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views this luxurious 3-storey townhouse sits right in the heart of Queen Street West one of Toronto’s most prestigious communities – and one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world As if the location wasn’t enough of a draw the home itself also happens to be stunning The Victorian-style dwelling was recently renovated to create 3,600 sq where traditional elements blend with contemporary finishes Timelessness that still manages to be right on trend welcoming you into an open-concept living and dining room space You won't be able to miss the massive windows Tucked behind the living room is a spacious chef’s kitchen A sliding glass door leads to a charming garden patio where there’s enough room for a small garden and an outdoor seating area you’re curled up on your outdoor couch with a book in one hand On the second floor you’ll find a spacious family area which boasts plenty of closet space — plus a luxury 5-piece ensuite equipped with double sinks The rest of the bedrooms are tucked away on the third floor We're particularly fond of the second principal bedroom and a dormer window that creates a cozy nook for reading or working but we love that the lower level could easily be turned into an additional chamber making it the perfect space for an eldest child who’s seeking some independence The home also boasts a selection of luxury amenities this Trinity Bellwoods beauty truly has it all ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This article was produced in partnership with STOREYS Custom Studio. there are still lots of activities happening in the city this weekend including a pair of art crawls There will be a full closure of the Gardiner Expressway for 35 hours over the weekend so traffic will be slower than usual heading into the city The annual Queen West Art Crawl will be happening this weekend at Trinity Bellwoods Park The cultural and artistic festival features an Outdoor Art Exhibition The festival is free to enjoy and will kick off at 11 a.m Geary Avenue will be turning into two-day celebration of art and culture The neighbourhood festival will feature music It’s happening on Geary between Ossington to just west of Dufferin Street RBC Run for the Kids in support of youth mental health is happening this Saturday at Mel Lastman Square All proceeds from the race will go to the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Family Navigation Project aged 13-26 and their families who are facing mental health and/or addiction issues The five-kilometre race will start and end at the Square with things kicking off at 8:30 a.m VegTO Fest is back for those who love vegan food and beyond panel conversations and musical performances with over 200 exhibitors The event is free to attend at Nathan Phillips Square starting on Saturday at 11 a.m The Toronto Maple Leafs will be back on the ice for the first time this season when they face off against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night It’s the first preseason game happening at Scotiabank Arena after another disappointing season last year and the first under new coach Craig Berube trains on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth will not stop at Pape Station due to Ontario Line construction Metrolinx will be working near the station platform Bus service at Pape Station will be unaffected Shuttle buses will run between Broadview and Coxwell stations September 21,  there will be no subway service between York Mills and St subway service on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth between St George and Broadview stations will start by 11 a.m Shuttle buses will operate on Danforth Avenue between St George and Broadview stations from the start of subway service (8 a.m.) to 11 a.m There will be no GO train service on the Barrie line on Saturday September 22 while we perform important construction along the corridor GO buses will replace trains between Barrie Bus Terminal and Highway 407 Bus Terminal as we work to improve your service GO train service along the Lakeshore West line will be hourly this weekend due to maintenance and infrastructure work  The Gardiner Expressway is scheduled to be closed from 11 p.m. on Sept. 20 until 10 a.m. on Sept. 22 for maintenance, cleaning and inspections in order to ensure the long-term safety and reliability of the roadway. From 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, Yonge Street will be closed between Sheppard Avenue West and Cummer Avenue for the RBC Race for Kids.   From Monday, September 23 to Monday, December 23, one northbound lane and the right turn lane on Morningside Avenue will be closed between Sheppard Avenue East and Milner Avenue on weeknights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for watermain cleaning and relining.   On Sunday, September 22, the following road restrictions will be in effect for The Bentway’s Dominoes event:  A Canadian man arrested on vacation has been proven innocent. Melissa Nakhavoly with why he is still being held in the Dominican Republic. Warmer temperatures but showers are expected on-and-off for the next few days. Meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai has your seven-day forecast. Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls on Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize a list of projects including the proposed Highway 401 tunnel. The family of Soleiman Faqiri, a mentally ill man who was killed in an Ontario prison, is calling out the provincial government over the lack of correctional reform Now New and Improved! Watch CityNews, listen to NewsRadio Toronto live anytime and get up-to-the-minute breaking-news alerts, traffic, weather and video from CityNews Toronto anywhere you are – across all Android and iOS devices. you may have seen one in your lifetime at Trinity Bellwoods Park where they have notoriously been spotted which has become known as the province’s white squirrel capital Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Don't have an account? Create Account We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentBut a recent video shared online shows another one of these beautiful creatures — that happened to be nowhere near Queen St Gaynutdinov told the Sun that he was walking near Allen Rd when he spotted it in front of a residential building at 360 Ridelle Ave The daring creature didn’t appear frightened by Gaynutdinov and approached him fairly confidently as the man tried to get the squirrel to come closer to film it — which it did calling it everything from “cute” to “beautiful.” One person marveled at the rarity of the “albino” squirrel,” however another user pointed out that because the animal didn’t have pink eyes One person commented on this white squirrel’s fearlessness, noting, “Looks like this squirrel has had many admirers , considering how he came right up… maybe expecting food. Though unusual and even beautiful, he should be careful as he stands out among predators AND is too trusting.” Gaynutdinov was simply grateful to have seen it. “I just got lucky to encounter that beauty.” transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account “The notwithstanding clause is a tool that is available to restore municipal governments’ ability to maintain order and safety,” said Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall Some of the mayors of Ontario’s largest municipalities publicly signed a letter formally asking Premier Doug Ford to use the notwithstanding clause to pass legislation to deal with homeless encampments The mayor’s decision came after the premier’s comments on Tuesday when answering a question by QP Briefing about whether the province would support the mayor’s request So far the signatories of the letter are the mayors of Barrie The letter explicitly calls for the use of the notwithstanding clause and the mayors will make it public through social media publications Thursday morning It comes after the Ontario Big City Mayors’ Caucus passed a motion earlier this month asking for the provinces and feds for legislative changes to deal with encampments and homelessness issues in their communities This included shielding their measures from legal challenges When asked about the motion earlier this week Ford directed the mayors to publicly ask him for it “I have an idea: why don’t the big city mayors actually put in writing that they want the province to change the homeless program ‘Use the notwithstanding clause,’ or something like that,” Ford said “That’s what they should be doing Let’s see if they have the backbone to do it if they really want the homeless situation to improve.” The mayors’ motion originally sought legislative amendments to establish a “system of mandatory community-based and residential mental health and addictions treatment.” It proposed that provincial and federal governments invoke the notwithstanding clause to preempt potential constitutional challenges ensuring those in need could access necessary treatment But in the final version of the motion that passed the mayors settled on a request for an “immediate review and update” of the Mental Health Act and the Health Care Consent Act in collaboration with medical experts and municipalities to assess if mandatory treatment is “the right thing to do.” and asked the mayors to submit a formal written request showing “100 per cent” support for the initiative if they “want something done.” Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall has been vocal about the urgency of the issue “The notwithstanding clause is a tool that is available to restore municipal governments’ ability to maintain order and safety,” Nuttall wrote in an op-ed published earlier this month but at least give our mayors the opportunity to move forward and protect our cities’ most innocent and vulnerable citizens.” The Premier’s Office didn’t reply to a whether the province will now move forward with the mayor’s request by deadline A heat wave isn’t the best time for a public pool to be out of order but the Trinity Community Recreation Centre’s tot pool has been in and out of service since May While the adult pool in Trinity Bellwoods Park is clean and useable, a post on social media site Reddit shows the children’s pool filled with murky water that looks far from appealing for a cool dip on a hot day The City of Toronto tells CityNews they have been trying to repair the cartridge filter system since last month but it “became evident that a new filter system was required.” In the meantime the tot pool has been closed A notice on the door says the preschool leisure swim has also been cancelled until further notice “due to mechanical issues.” the pool has been cordoned off and drained “The new sand filters arrived on Friday and staff are working with plumbers for a quick removal of the old filters and the installation of the new sand filters,” says the city The city did not respond when asked why it has taken so long to change the filter or when the kids’ pool will reopen A Canadian man arrested on vacation has been proven innocent Melissa Nakhavoly with why he is still being held in the Dominican Republic Warmer temperatures but showers are expected on-and-off for the next few days Meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai has your seven-day forecast Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls on Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize a list of projects including the proposed Highway 401 tunnel a mentally ill man who was killed in an Ontario prison is calling out the provincial government over the lack of correctional reform listen to NewsRadio Toronto live anytime and get up-to-the-minute breaking-news alerts weather and video from CityNews Toronto anywhere you are – across all Android and iOS devices The throngs on Saturday at Trinity Bellwoods Park but Shree Paradkar questions why authorities let it go at that One look at images of Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday and it was instantly clear that idiocy is not just an affliction of the American middle class As a person with the luxury of living with greenery around me I appreciate how difficult it must be to be trapped in a condo I don’t blame people for wanting to break out of their confines when the sunny outside beckons so cheerily I get that there aren’t a lot of open spaces in the core of Toronto — although What is bothersome is that while people around the world and even in our own city have been weathering the pandemic in far tougher conditions in crappy apartments and crowded homes and in poverty it was in Trinity Bellwoods that people somehow collectively felt entitled to say to hell with social distancing Their pleasure trumped our collective safety Trinity Bellwoods is considered a “gentrifying” neighbourhood with a higher concentration of white folks compared to the city. Like in all of the city, nearly half the resident are renters, and the same proportion have a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the 2016 census Based on social-media comments and real-estate agents’ descriptions the 32-acre Trinity Bellwoods Park is a place to be seen That’s a concept beyond my comprehension but on Saturday it meant that people could have gone to other parks (Stanley Park I wonder if the news about who is most at risk from COVID-19 — the racialized have-nots — has created a sense of inoculation among the haves Pandemics have always killed the poorest — mainly because those are the bodies the virus comes across People who can’t afford to hunker down necessarily place themselves at risk to keep the rest of us in comfort Gathering in large numbers simply offers the virus more bodies to feast on Photographs doing the rounds on social media showed thousands of what looked like white people milling around in crowds in the west-end park as if millions of other Torontonians were not holding back from precisely that because common sense No doubt there were racialized folks among those gathered — fools come from all races — but they were protected by the overwhelming whiteness of those around them Had that been a sea of Black and brown folks we’d be having a very different conversation today While we may call Saturday’s hordes at Trinity Bellwoods covidiots or victims of squashed housing or poor communications by the province to me they serve as a quick snapshot as to who feels entitled to the public space in this city who gets scrutinized and who gets penalized for existing in it a Tamil friend in our suburban neighbourhood was taking his children for a walk A white man working on his front lawn chided him for being outside and told him to get off the sidewalk and walk on the road Last month, the father of a Black teen in Ottawa accused a trustee of harassing and photo-shaming his teenage son on Facebook for shooting hoops by himself This was before there was clarity around the use of public parks In Brampton, Peel Police broke up groups of people who broke social-distancing rules by playing cricket and fined them $880 each It was also Eid this weekend when Muslims ended the month-long fasting of Ramadan. It’s a time of celebration, but Muslim Canadians shared stories on Twitter of a visible police presence in their communities to ensure they didn’t break social-distancing rules In Toronto, several homeless people have also been given $880 tickets for sitting on public benches, according to Policing the Pandemic a map that tracks criminal charges across the country The vast majority of police enforcement thus far has been about failing to comply with distancing rules So where was the weight of all that enforcement on Saturday? How many people were fined? Mayor John Tory said the people need to “do better” and sent in bylaw officers Sunday To be mocked en masse and face expressions of disappointment from our leaders but bear no individual responsibility What about community spread? Given that Ontario’s testing and contact tracing efforts are flailing — that we don’t actually know how community transmission is spreading — will we ever be able to track how many people were endangered by the indifference of the folks at Trinity Bellwoods Park Has the province sought the might of the police to keep all of us safe or only some of us safe Why does the amount of melanin in the wrongdoer dictate who gets off and whom we choose to perceive as wrongdoer in the first place Guess there’s no one quite like covidiots to expose the toxic hierarchies that operate under pretty ideals of egalitarianism $792,668 to clean up and remediate parks and $357,000 to erect fencing at three city parks this summer $792,668 to clean up and remediate parks and $357,000 to erect fencing The city spent nearly $2 million to remove homeless people from three large encampments in parks this summer The report details the final costs for the enforcement of trespassing notices to people who set up tents at Trinity Bellwoods Park The financial breakdown included money for city and private security, Toronto Police, fire and paramedics, the removal of debris, and personal protective equipment. That total came to $840,127, with Trinity Bellwoods enforcement responsible for nearly half of that total city staff had to take “unprecedented action” to clean up and remediate the three parks to enable general use by the public That cost — $792,668 — included the removal of 30 tonnes of debris Landscaping included the laying of seed and fertilizer aeration and the inspection and in some cases removal of damaged trees Fencing costing $357,000 was put in place to keep people out of the parks and allow time to make the needed repairs Since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic large numbers of homeless people set up tents and lived in these parks with many complaining that they felt the city’s shelters were unsafe for them due their concerns about overcrowding personal safety or the spread of the coronavirus But residents who rent or own homes near these parks complained the parks were taken over by homeless people walk their dogs and for their children to play in The parks were later opened to all residents including for kids’ summer day camps at Alexandra Park that had been closed due to the encampments Permits to use Lamport’s sport field that had been cancelled during that encampment have since been resumed “City staff continue to help people move to safe indoor spaces and out of unsafe unhealthy and illegal encampments,” the city report says The city says that since the start of the pandemic it has referred 835 people from four major encampments — including Moss Park where tents are still in place — to indoor housing A spokesperson for the city said the number of those people who remain housed wasn’t immediately available Kristyn Wong-Tam wants Toronto to work on getting “I did submit an administrative inquiry letter specifically asking (city staff) those questions — how many people were able to successfully gain a pathway indoors?” she asked “At the end of the day the time and energy spent — did we get the outcomes and have those results been sustained — are people still indoors that people left encampments but instead scattered under bridges or into ravines but not indoors to safe accommodations then I don’t believe we entirely achieved our (goals),” Wong-Tam said in an interview The encampments contravene several chapters of the city’s Municipal Code and are “not a solution to homelessness,” the city report says “The city has released the costs of the three large encampment clearings so as to be fully accountable about what was needed to make sure city staff homeless residents and the public were kept safe from protesters absolutely hell-bent on confronting authorities,” Mayor John Tory said in a statement Friday “The information released also shows the cost of repairing our parks from the damage caused over time by the encampments in addition to the sacrifice made by many Toronto residents who were denied use of these public spaces for an extended period of time,” he went on to say But city councillor Josh Matlow took a different approach, tweeting that the money spent could have gone toward housing the homeless “It cost Toronto taxpayers $840,127.00 for 3 violent encampment clearings that simply pushed vulnerable people to our city’s laneways Toronto (could have) provided stable housing for 58 of these people in bachelor units at the CMHC average,” Matlow tweeted referring to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation a national housing agency that helps Canadians access affordable housing options Zoë Dodd, a harm reduction worker and a co-organizer of the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society, tweeted “the city admits they spent $2 million violently evicting about 60 people from the encampments in the parks Imagine what we could have done with $2 million.” referred to the $840,000 price tag for the trespass enforcement and compared that to rent supplements for people in Toronto “If you take $600 for a (monthly) rent supplement and give that to people over a year That’s how I first looked at that number when I saw it,” Crowe said Arborists are calling into question the way the city prunes its trees after a second person was killed by a falling tree branch in Trinity Bellwoods park Arborists are calling into question the way the city is pruning trees in public parks after the second death in Trinity Bellwoods Based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts If you’re like me, when you heard the news that a woman named Pari Nadimi had died after being hit by a falling tree branch in Trinity Bellwoods park in late July you immediately thought it was one of those unforeseeable freak accidents — horrifying to contemplate What are the odds that someone would be right there under a branch when it falls But then, when I learned this was the second time this had happened in less than a decade — a man was killed by a branch falling off the same kind of tree in the same park in 2016 — it inspired some second thoughts then it started to seem like a different kind of accident who I’ve known for almost two decades and who also spoke to Ben Spurr for his story before joining me this week on the Star’s “This Matters” podcast is an arborist who runs the company City Forest He didn’t see that specific tree before the accident but he has been complaining for years to anyone who listens that the way the city is aggressively pruning some trees is making them more dangerous The kind of “lion tail” result that Clement says he saw on that branch in Trinity Bellwoods which leaves a heavy limb with one bunch of branches at its end is one of the things Irvine says he’s consistently been trying to warn the city that its contractors should stop doing He has sent in specific examples and complaints to forestry staff He has had long talks about it with city councillors He has not been convinced the city is addressing the problem he and Clement have both told me that in response to Nadimi’s death the city has had crews out in Trinity Bellwoods aggressively pruning trees to demonstrate they are on top of the problems — and are doing so in a way the two men say makes more trees vulnerable in exactly the same way Two other arborists Spurr spoke to did not exactly mirror the assessment of Irvine and Clement though both did also think the city is making mistakes in how it manages its forest possibly leading to accidents like the one that took a woman’s life last month One said “any arborists worth their salt” should have been able to recognize the Siberian elms in Trinity Bellwoods posed a hazard; another said the city is using outdated practices that focus on trimming branches rather than using techniques to proactively assess overall health This seems like an issue that is worth the city taking a much closer look at City spokespeople told Spurr that the city “works hard to maintain city trees in a safe and healthy condition” and is assessing the trees in Trinity Bellwoods to prevent more problems But it does seem like when you have a bunch of outside tree experts telling you the way you’re maintaining trees may be part of the problem — and when one of those people actually tried to warn your staff about a specific threat before it became deadly — it is time for a more thorough examination of whether your process works Protecting our tree canopy in the city — in parks on streets and on private property — is important for a whole bunch of reasons as Irvine explained to me at length on the podcast because the trees provide a lot of benefits to residents vibrant trees could help save lives in the beneficial effect they provide in helping protect us from the ravages of climate change taking care of those trees properly can also save lives directly as we’ve too painfully learned again recently the city’s parks and forestry department should be reacting to this tragedy not just by rushing out to try to prune any dangerous branches they can find but by re-evaluating the way they do that pruning — and as Irvine told me also possibly by doing it less aggressively but more often — and how they are managing the millions of trees in their care This is one specific case where not only was an apparently freak accident foreseeable Some experts are offering more general warnings about what it thinks are broader foreseeable problems It behooves our city government to listen carefully Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details In the wake of the day's events, the park has been emptied, criminal charges have been pressed against multiple protesters and the city is facing extensive censure for what was felt to be unnecessarily heavy-handed police presence I often ride through Trinity Bellwoods. There must only be a couple dozen tents and tiny homes, if that. So who are all these police for? To fight the community who have shown up in solidarity? Is that what police is for? To fight the neighbours who have said not in my name? https://t.co/hzPbxdFe2o It was early in the morning that city staff began entering the park, gloved and donned in fluorescent t-shirts, to enforce trespass notices that were earlier this month issued to the group of 25-or-so homeless citizens who have been living in the popular green space Like a number of other downtown parks, Bellwoods was selected as a priority location for such action given the makeshift community that had cropped up there amid the pandemic and the blow COVID has dealt the city's shelter system "As outlined in the recent City Manager’s report to City Council, encampments contravene several chapters of the Municipal Code and are not a solution to homelessness," the City said in a statement of the planned action in the public space "The health outcomes for people who stay outside are complex and serious Individuals living in encampments are also at risk of contracting COVID-19 This is Toronto. WTF, @JohnTory pic.twitter.com/5V2HYThfjA But it wasn't the city team that people on the site seemed to have a problem with yesterday, though there has been much opposition to what they were sent to do — it was the countless riot police, armed with tear gas, rubber bullets and worse that began flooding the park as protesters tried to stop the clearing Both those on the scene and those witnessing it on social media were shocked by the substantial presence of cops and private security who set up a human perimeter and then actual fencing around the encampment area to keep demonstrators out It appeared that the city was expecting a scene for the confrontation of what was really a very small group of people who were given a few hours to collect their things and leave the park for designated shelter spaces where they will receive a bed job help and mental health supports through the new Pathway Inside program And it was definitely a scene that they got though not from actual encampment residents themselves but from zealous activists who were apparently acting on their behalf Yes @joe_cressy but do you support the massive police and private security assault that took place last night at Trinity Bellwoods to evict homeless people? It’s a disgrace and I voted for you to speak out against such abuses of power. https://t.co/JblPyU5Swr The dramatic sight was definitely quite dystopian and did not feel like something that could actually happen in Toronto, with residents attempting to tear down the fencing as they hurled insults and actual items at what indeed seemed like far too many authorities for the situation Toronto Police Service has since also been condemned for keeping journalists out from the encampment area as they tried to cover the ordeal and, as the Canadian Association of Journalists note in a statement on the matter "The Toronto Police have no right to detain journalists who are covering events of public interest Today's events were a complete overreaction Toronto Police used a hammer to swat a fly," CAJ's president said yesterday Though the tactics employed definitely could have been better — the sheer number of police in their full garb was shocking and deliberately intimidating — the city does make a fair point that permitting individuals to reside in our parks isn't a long-term fix for our homelessness crisis The fact that all those living in the encampment accepted the help and housing options the city was offering and ended up asking protesters to leave the scene also gives some indication of the dynamics of yesterday's fight Mayor John Tory said in a presser today that the police presence was a response to the "hundreds of people who showed up and involved themselves who were not the people experiencing homelessness that we were trying to help." He called these protesters "people who were trying to make a statement," and noted their continued steadfast opposition of all of the city's efforts in the encampment situation Perhaps it would be best for those who want to support our neighbours in tents to let them speak for themselves Martin Reis Cherry blossoms are now officially in full bloom at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto It's one of the many places beyond High Park to see the beautiful sakura trees in Toronto right now The pretty pink and white flowers decorate the branches of the trees that are mostly near the south-end of the park at Queen indicating this grossly long winter might actually be behind us these blossoms won't last long with weather conditions in Toronto being less than favourable this weekend The cherry blossoms in bloom in Trinity Bellwoods But some spring showers weren't deterring park visitors this weekend with many posing for photos among the row of sakura trees on Friday and Saturday For those looking for an alternate spot to view the cherry blossoms in downtown Toronto right now there's a smaller collection of trees now in bloom on the U of T campus outside of Robarts library George Hornaday Protesters and advocates are forced out of the encampment by Toronto police at Trinity Bellwoods Park on Tuesday For months anti-masker marches invaded neighbourhoods but they were escorted by police with kid gloves Toronto saved the riot squad for poor people in the park Toronto’s ugliest side appeared in Trinity Bellwoods Park on Tuesday This city hasn’t seen such a vulgar display of power since downtown was turned into an armed fortress 11 years ago this week for the G20 a massive operation was launched to clear out the homeless encampments in the park As a police drone droned overhead and a news helicopter hovered relentlessly flatbed trucks unloaded hundreds of metres of high metal fencing that one near Queen Street and another in the north half of the park by the “dog bowl” filling the streets around the park with their cruisers and other heavy duty support vehicles A few dozen were clad in paramilitary uniforms with patches on their backs reading “B1” or “B5” as identification At least one unit carried crowd control weaponry that took both their hands to carry On top of that were City of Toronto “corporate security” and more than a hundred private security guards in neon-yellow shirts A public park closed and guarded by a private security force They’re part of a contract the city has with Star Security Some seemed visibly daunted by the situation They aren’t paid much but they’ve been used as the city’s blunt edge one city officials own despite the outsourcing The guards were stationed both inside and outside the entire perimeter fence Some of them controlled access to the fenced areas that were marked with signed designations like “Access Gate 2 C” high tech police surveillance equipment was visible The scale of the operation was absolutely staggering as were the resources and money that must have been involved The amount of planning was also evident with closure of adjacent streets like Crawford used as a staging ground for trucks unloading dumpsters to fill with encampment material This appeared to have been planned for a very long time There weren’t even that many encampment residents left but their marches were escorted by police with kid gloves Hundreds of civilians came to bear witness to the operation Some got caught up inside the fenced perimeter police on horses walked through the crowd outside the fence All the while the city’s official communication channels were pouring out the vilest kind of doublespeak using words like “restoring” Trinity Bellwoods Park that fences were simply aiding in “cleaning” the park and that the “City is in attendance” to “assist those experiencing homelessness” I’ve not seen one homeless advocate argue for encampments over proper housing but so many have made the point that the city’s offerings are inadequate and even dangerous and the deaths in Toronto’s shelters attest to why some people feel safer sleeping outdoors I passed through this park often and other users coexisted with the encampments just fine We’re told so many times the city doesn’t have resources to do things This is a gross failure of our incredibly wealthy city and its leadership to provide safe and accessible housing A failure of the mayor and councillors who are adamant they don’t control the police but the mayor is on the police board and no operation this big and visible happens without tacit leadership approval Even his opponents on council’s left are issuing weak and torqued statements about Bellwoods So much of the city’s approach to public space throughout this pandemic has been dreadful either heavy-handed or requiring thousands of angry citizens to get action on basic things like providing toilets water fountains or just more space to live and breathe but on Tuesday it was despicable and I’m ashamed to live here Days after a woman was seriously injured by a tree branch that fell at Trinity Bellwoods Park the City of Toronto confirmed the tree was removed for further analysis An arborist with two decades of experience tells CityNews the tree was a Siberian Elm and said the branch was narrow “You can see it’s a darker brown; that’s an indication of decay an entry point where decay starts entering the tree,” explained Sala who works with Cohen & Master Tree and Shrub Services in Thornhill “Trees are heavy — the branch that failed here was probably 4,000 to 5,000 pounds … branches can crush homes and strike a human; consequences can be deadly,” he added A woman suffered critical injuries when a tree branch fell on her on Tuesday evening The damaged tree has been removed for further analysis and officials have examined the surrounding trees The same type of tree led to a fatality in Trinity Bellwoods in 2016 when a man was killed after a limb fell the city said they remove any severely damaged trees and an imminent safety hazard to people Arborists say they’ve been busy this week after storms rolled through the region Sala said this is why annual inspections are essential but added that there needs to be advanced methods — not just from the ground “That includes climbing in a tree or trying to gather scientific data We use sonic-pass sound waves and detect hidden defects The city says the typical maintenance is done regularly to keep an eye on these trees The public is also asked to report hazardous trees and branches to 311 to help city staff investigate and remove hazards There are three things in Toronto that are guaranteed in the summer: the Pride Parade, Caribana Iconic summer hangout or overrated Toronto cliche: however you want to look at this overwhelming hotspot between Dundas and Queen it's no secret that Trinity Bellwoods has become a certified meat market Given the few days of sunshine we've gotten so far you can't blame the masses—it is a public space after all Love how @cityoftoronto is doing renovations in Trinity Bellwoods Park and shutting down the park right in the middle of the summer and no one is ever really working on the renovations pic.twitter.com/UNeRtQlMGQ But with new construction happening on Trinity Bellwoods Circle and surrounding pathways, and with fencing cutting off a sizeable chunk of the 36-acre park until later this summer the crowdedness has reached unprecedented levels While it's hard to track exactly how many people frequent the park on a daily basis Toronto Parks Manager Peter White says there's no doubt that Trinity Bellwoods visitors number in the thousands and that the park is getting busier year after year A post shared by Eli (@eligrimson) on Jun 10 "We have lots of new condo buildings around and people looking for open space," says White Christie Pits, the next most logical park, is located just a few intersections north, and the scenic Dufferin Grove sits more west of that. Even Alexandra Park—just a 20 minute away—can accommodate its fair share of lawn-loungers Still, no other park offers the same proximity to tourist-friendly West Queen West, or for that matter, sense of cultural identity, as Trinity Bellwoods does (where else does a Torontonian spot a white squirrel?) when u roll up to trinity bellwoods on a sunny sunday afternoon & realize there aint enough space to set up spikeball with the bros pic.twitter.com/7TkQrHhfBr while sharing a 15-square-foot area with hacky-sack players and clandestine beer drinkers may not irk everybody there's the health of the physical park to keep in mind It's a public space and we welcome people to use it," says White According to a city report the increased use of public spaces (along with climate change and invasive plants) is "putting pressure on the city’s ecosystems leading to degradation and the need for increased maintenance." Not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings but I will never EVER miss the trash nightmare that is Trinity Bellwoods in the summer Toronto has around 8,000 hectares of parkland equal to about 28 square metres of parkland per person That number is predicted to go down to 21 square metres over the next 15 years thanks to our growing population There isn't really a whole lot we can do to limit it," says White "We have an onsite staff person that can deal with issues My controversial take on Trinity Bellwoods is that I think a lot of people in a park enjoying the sun and the company of their friends is good the regular function of Trinity Bellwoods has seen some recent changes Last year, adult softball leagues had to be moved from the park's diamonds after home runs became a safety issue for the growing number of people gathering nearby Plus, the growing number of permitted events, from the Farmers' Market to movie nights "I think Trinity has developed its reputation sort of organically...It really has become a popular spot."  Until the city magically conjures up some more green spaces for us to enjoy over the next few months we'll have to put up with the Woodstock-level crowds every time we walk through those Bellwoods gates Just make sure to take your beer cans with you when you leave @poksi.foto It's the first weekend in Trinity Bellwoods Park where visitors can test out the new social distancing circles at one of Toronto's most popular green spaces which were painted by City of Toronto staff earlier this week as a pilot project did their job in keeping groups of people isolated from one another while enjoying the outdoors the park has been significantly less busy than past weekends where sunny skies and high temperatures lured people out in dangerous crowds Saturday proved to be a lot chillier than other days we've seen but people seemed eager to test drive the social distancing circles which were popularized in New York and San Francisco before being implemented in Toronto each circle is large enough for two adults from the same household lying down or three adults from the same household if they're all sitting cross-legged Bike cops and bylaw officers were in full effect on Saturday and seemed much more effective than last week in directing people how to properly physically distance Enjoy reading The Beaverton? Kick in a few bucks to help us survive peeing in bushes is synonymous with summer itself in the big city It’s even more evocative of July than beers A perfect summer day hasn’t really begun for me until I’ve sat down with friends on a picnic blanket in a place where there are no washrooms available left a conversation without explaining where I’m going and marched straight into a bush to relieve myself Doesn’t matter whether it’s lilac or mulberry the important thing is that you’re just hidden enough from everyone’s view that it’s not weird with the increased crowding in outdoor spaces enjoying this part of my summer has gotten a lot tougher for me and the longer social distancing measures are in place the more likely people are to start challenging them And have you ever tried peeing in the Cedarvale Ravine You have to walk so far to get to the bushes you might as well just pee in a real bathroom The point is, in these difficult times, we are all trying our best to do our part in preventing the spread of -19 Before you judge someone violating social distancing guidelines too harshly consider the possibility that they might just be trying to go to the bathroom in a bush like everyone else CI-BELLWOODSHOME Located directly across Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park this $5.5 million property has been listed four times by its owners and is yet to sell Located directly across Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park the house is located across from Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park in the heart of Queen West Located directly across from Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park, this $5.5 million property has been listed four times by its owners and has yet to sell two-storey house with 10-foot tall ceilings almost resembles the interiors of homes people dream of from watching shows like “Dynasty.” Built in the 1800s the surrounding area has become the heart of Queen West with listings snatched up quickly for millions of dollars West has been listed for sale for half a year and is expected to expire again come March 20 Describe as a “jewel from the bygone age,” we speak to to David Sussman a real estate agent and member of the Toronto Real Estate Board to give us insight on why this hasn’t sold yet Heritage Toronto described the house as an important example of mid-19th century residential architecture and one of the earliest buildings still surviving on Queen Street West The home is also known as the John Farr House — named after the first buyer of the property In 1819, Farr, a businessman in England, acquired two acres of crown land west of Garrison Creek on the south side of Lot Street — now known as Queen Street West — and established Farr’s Brewery but the family continued to occupy the house until 1905 the property was purchased by Polish immigrants to be turned into a cultural centre the house was used as a meeting spot for the Polish National Union of Canada A document retrieved from the Ontario Heritage Act reveals a 1990 letter from Toronto City Council to the Polish National Union that indicated they had decided to designate 905 Queen St the property ended up in the hands of the Canadian Equity and Development Corp The companies had proposed to “remove” the house but the plan was turned down by local residents president of Canadian Equity and Development Corp. acquired the house and got hooked on the restoration project hiring the same crew that restored Osgoode Hall to fix up the house Property records show that the spot is currently owned by Manhattan Capital Corporation “The problem with these properties is you can’t do anything with them which is why they don’t sell or they’re very difficult to sell,” said Sussman people are not able to change the facades and must get government permission in order to do so people can apply for grants to restore parts of the property but because of the heritage agreement they are unable to change much or build on it the property has been listed twice as a commercial unit and another time as a residential home “If you want to spend five and a half-million dollars live in that cool neighbourhood and never do anything with the property for sure but (know) you also have to maintain it to the level (of) the historical committee,” he said Sussman notes that taxes are low for heritage houses in order to help people maintain the property but on top of the selling price it can be a lot of additional money to consider Because the city has the power to overturn it as a heritage site they could buy it and use it towards creating a museum park or even more affordable housing units “Heritage is cool and all but if nobody can use it If they were willing to sacrifice that building or maybe keep part of it and build around it you could probably put some affordable housing there,” he said “We have so many problems with housing in our city Let’s open up some of the land and start building a little bit more and make it a little bit easier to build in my opinion.” While Sussman notes the city is usually “hands off” on situations like this he thinks there is opportunity for the city to work with the neighbourhood and come up with something new the warmer weather and longer days of spring usher in the glory of blooming cherry blossoms pink and soft white flowers blossom for a short time in late April and early May on ornamental cherry trees and other trees Cherry blossoms are a significant aspect of Japanese culture They are called “Sakura” and symbolize renewal and the fleeting nature of life The custom of viewing the blossoms is called “Hanami.” Sakura trees have also come to represent an ongoing bond of friendship between Japan and Canada. Read more about the Sakura Project and where you can practice Hanami with cherry blossoms on full display in Ontario Take a look-but-don’t-touch approach to protect these cherished natural attractions hanging from their branches or picking cherry blossoms can damage the trees and impact future enjoyment Cherry blossom season is the definition of spring for many Torontonians, with High Park being the most well-known spot to view the flowers. Other cherry blossom locations in and around the city are equally stunning and often less busy including a small collection on Toronto Island’s Centre Island The grove of cherry blossom Sakura trees along the High Park Trail and around the Grenadier Pond was gifted to Toronto in 1959 from Tokyo’s citizens to Toronto’s citizens for their support of Japanese-Canadian refugees after WWII The bond between the two cities and planting more Sakura continued for years and the outcome grew into what is now known as the “Sakura Project.” Follow the Bloom Prediction online to find out when the Sakura are in full bloom It’s like something right out of a fairy tale Note that there is no vehicle access through High Park during the cherry blossom bloom period Location: 1873 Bloor Street West, Toronto The canopy of flowering cherry trees on the grounds at Exhibition Place is a treat to witness and will likely be less crowded than High Park Cherry trees are located near the Princess Margaret Fountain and just north of the Princes’ Gate Location: 100 Princes Boulevard, Toronto  One of the city’s largest downtown green spaces Trinity Bellwoods is a popular park for picnickers Of the approximately 400 trees in the park Location: 790 Queen Street West, Toronto Adjacent to the Toronto Botanical Garden in North York Edwards Gardens is a former estate garden now open to the public Look for the cherry tree blossoms near the water fountain and Edwards Garden courtyard Location: 755 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto cherry blossom trees surround the parking area of Toronto’s Japanese Cultural Centre which hosts various programs and events throughout the year From April 17 to May 11, 2025, experience the cherry blossom season through tradition, artistry, and community at SakuraFest 2025 Enjoy film screenings and live performances while participating in traditional tea ceremonies or sake tastings all set beneath the JCCC’s blooming sakura trees Tickets can be purchased online for workshops Location: 6 Garamond Court, Toronto Mississauga’s sister city in central Japan Kariya Park is a serene Japanese-inspired garden featuring a pond pavilion and a beautiful grove of over 300 cherry blossom trees Location: 3620 Kariya Drive, Mississauga the trail of cherry trees in Joyce Archdekin Park is stunning Approximately 70 trees in this park were gifted by Japan as part of the Sakura Project Location: Main Street South, Brampton Centennial Park is home to the second-largest cherry blossom tree collection in Ontario In spring, the best spots to see the cherry blossoms in bloom are northeast of the Centennial Park Conservatory and along Rathburn Road and Centennial Park Boulevard Location: 256 Centennial Park Road, Etobicoke close to Thomson Memorial Park in Scarborough the south side of Birkdale Ravine is another great spot to enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms Over 40 trees were gifted from Toronto’s sister city in Japan Location: 1297 Ellesmere Road, Scarborough Visitors to Ottawa in the spring are in for a treat. In addition to the world’s largest tulip festival, the Canadian Tulip Festival which takes place in Commissioners Park in May there are several spots to admire the ethereal display of cherry blossoms A few of the best spots are along the historic Rideau Canal at Laurier Avenue bridge near the Floral footbridge and towards the Glebe neighbourhood One of Ottawa’s most popular outdoor attractions the Dominion Arboretum is part of the Central Experimental Farm of Agriculture that covers over 25 hectares between Dow’s Lake and the historic Rideau Canal The arboretum and ornamental gardens are free to the public and home to diverse species of plants which blossom beautifully along the edge of the garden on Prince of Wales Drive Location: Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa Located in the downtown core between the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River Confederation Park is a leafy green space and designated National Historic Site with several monuments and sculptures There is a small grove of cherry trees on the park's east side Location: Elgin Street, Ottawa Major’s Hill Park provides an oasis of green with river views The cherry trees stand along Mackenzie Avenue The scene is breathtaking when the tulips are also in full bloom with the Notre Dame Cathedral in the background Location: Mackenzie Avenue, Ottawa There’s no shortage of charm in Ontario’s most established wine region The subtle aroma and pretty shades of white apple and other fruit trees in blossom make spring a magical time to visit And if you wish to pair wine tasting with blossom spotting, there are some cherry trees to view at Pillitteri Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Legends Estate Winery in Beamsville and The Foreign Affair Winery in Vineland The sprawling grounds at the Botanical Gardens feature formal and manicured gardens an extensive herb section and peaceful walking paths and trails The magnolia trees are a highlight from early to mid-May followed immediately by the cherry tree blossoms near the entrance in mid to late May Park entrance is free but there is a parking fee Location: 2565 Niagara River Parkway, Niagara Falls Marking the site of the War of 1812 Battle of Queenston Heights on the Niagara Escarpment this riverside park is home to several monuments including the Landscape of Nations commemorating Six Nations The park is also a great spot to relax and enjoy a walk especially on a warm spring day when the cherry trees are in bloom in front of the Laura Secord Monument and near the Queenston Heights Restaurant Location: 14184 Niagara Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake Connected to the Niagara River Recreation Trail The park is located along the Niagara River On the grounds is McFarland House one of the oldest buildings in the region and a great spot to enjoy a cup of tea and admire the floral display from the tea room Location: 15927 Niagara River Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake as well as nature trails along the Niagara Escarpment outdoor enthusiasts can also enjoy the sight of cherry tree blossoms each spring at several parks and gardens throughout this region Spring marks the start of the blossoming season at the Royal Botanical Gardens The largest flowering cherry tree collection is located just south of the lilac dell at the Arboretum Other locations of Sakura cherry blossoms are at the Rock Garden and scattered throughout the terraces of Laking Garden overlooking Grindstone Creek Overlooking Lake Ontario along downtown Burlington’s shoreline the picturesque grounds of Spencer Smith feature a boardwalk The Sakura trees come to life with cherry blossoms in the spring Burlington’s grove of cherry trees was gifted from its twin city in Japan Location: 1400 Lakeshore Road, Burlington brook and formal gardens with lovely roses make this small waterfront park a popular spot for wedding photos The park and walking path are especially pretty during the spring blossom season The former private estate is home to a Tudor-style heritage residence which now serves as one of two locations for Oakville Galleries Location: 1308 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville the entrance pathway to Bayfront Park is lined with Sakura trees that were donated from Japan over 20 years ago Location: 200 Harbour Front Drive, Hamilton The Tropical Greenhouse and incredible gardens make Gage Park a favourite for gardeners and photographers Among the large selection of trees are some Sakura located behind the greenhouse that also draws a crowd of admirers each spring Location: 1000 Main Street East, Hamilton Cherry blossom blooms last only a few weeks Start planning your visit to one of these locations in early Spring Our experts are here to help you plan your perfect trip. Call or book today We would like to acknowledge that Ontario is the world in one province and is the original homelands to many nations of the First Peoples and the Anishinabek Nation all around the Great Lakes we are pleased to acknowledge and support the First Peoples and First Nations of these lands; the Inuit; and the Metis as we host visitors together Torontonians can order up delicious Taste Combos including creations from chef Matty Matheson Yummy K's takeout-inspired menu will feature creations from restauranteur The culinary mind behind local hot spots like Prime Seafood Palace and Matty's Patty's "Ordering in is easy but it's just not as good as home cooking," said Matty Matheson "I can make a fire dish at home - better than takeout and save some money - and add that extra flavour with Knorr® See for yourself and check out one of my Taste Combos at Yummy K's starting August 10!" Knorr® Taste Combos is a brand-new offering of tasty quick and affordable recipes that bring together a tasty trio of veggies lean protein and flavourful Knorr® offerings that can be prepared at home in under 30 minutes Yummy K's menu will feature four Taste Combos For one weekend only, Torontonians can order their favourite Taste Combos ahead and skip the line, exclusively through the Ritual app, and pick up at Yummy K's. All proceeds will be donated to La Tablée des Chefs a non-profit organization whose mission is to feed focusing on food recovery initiatives and educate developing food autonomy among youth embarking upon independent living.  we're clearing up the misconception that cooking at home is bland and time consuming; with just a few ingredients and Knorr® you can create delicious meals that compare to the taste and simplicity of your go-to fast food order," says Shagufta Hooda we're showing Canadians they can cook up meals that aren't fast food but are sooooo good and sharing delicious inspiration they can try in their own home." ties into the brand's longstanding commitment to help families make meals at home together – meals that are not only tasty For inspiration to create your own Knorr® Taste Combo at home, visit Knorr.ca/TasteCombos nutritious food should be accessible and affordable to all That's why we're on a journey to ensure all Canadians can create healthy meals they feel good about Whether it's creating high-quality products or supporting organizations and initiatives that provide access to healthy foods Knorr® remains committed to its long history of making good food available to everyone.  when founder Carl Heinrich Knorr® pioneered experiments in drying seasonings and vegetables to preserve their flavor and nutritional value Knorr® has become an international brand offering a wide range of bouillons Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day we have 127,000 employees and generated sales of €60.1 billion in 2022 Our leading brands in North America include Dove Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led future-fit business model drives superior performance We have a long tradition of being a progressive is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth Max Mosher, Edelman, [email protected] Phone: 647-245-7754 This article was published more than 3 years ago Security tries to prevent the entry of supporters to a homeless encampment at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto.CARLOS OSORIO/Reuters Scores of police and city workers descended upon a downtown Toronto park Tuesday morning to clear a sprawling homeless encampment They were met at Trinity Bellwoods Park by a large group protesting the action with many surrounding the makeshift dwellings of those who didn’t want to leave The city issued trespass notices to about 25 people living in two main encampment sites at the park on June 12 warning they could be evicted and face a $10,000 fine the city put up fences around the two sites that hold approximately 65 structures Susan Gibson said she has lived in the park for the past 10 months She said she did not want to take the city’s offer of a spot in a shelter or a hotel because she feels much safer from violence and the spread of COVID-19 when living outdoors “This is a waste of taxpayer money and it’s divisive when we should be helping people,” she said Gibson said she doesn’t know where she’ll go if she is forced out of the park Jimmy Pudjunas spent the morning trying to pack up his belongings from his sprawling tent and wooden structure shelter said he doesn’t want to live at a shelter due to the threat of violence “I’m leaving but I don’t know where I’m going.” Pudjunas has lived in the park since last September so I’m gonna go find a spot under the bridge.” Hundreds fled Toronto’s homeless shelters for fear of contracting COVID-19 when the pandemic hit and dozens of encampments popped up throughout the city Recent data obtained by The Canadian Press also shows a significant rise in violent incidents in Toronto’s shelter system over the last five years The city maintains the shelter system is safe and has said it will eventually clear the homeless encampments City council also recently passed a motion to end encampments In addition to the action at Trinity Bellwoods the city has also issued trespass notices to residents at three other encampments the city and police halted an encampment clearing at Lamport Stadium after a standoff with homeless residents and their supporters Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today Toronto's troublemaking raccoons are generally thought of as the unofficial masked mascots of the city, but true locals know of another, more elusive animal that also serves to represent the 6ix: the white squirrel And, as such, the city is understandably devastated when one of the rare resident creatures passes away — something that unfortunately just happened again this week A citizen shared the heartbreaking news in a Bellwoods community Facebook group on Sunday informing members that they had sadly happened upon the lifeless body of one of the few white squirrels in the neighbourhood who appeared to have fallen to their death from a nearby tree "My amazing neighbour Michelle and I had a moment with the little one and then I took the Squirrel over to Trinity-Bellwoods Park to their park personnel Goes to show how much the little one meant to our neighbourhood," the poster wrote as it had fallen from a tree — which is very odd for squirrels and might indicate that it was sick from something." The ethereal critters are not a species of their own but are actually just eastern grey squirrels with gene mutations that lead to full or partial albinism which unfortunately also gives them poor eyesight and makes them more prone to things like missing an easy jump to a nearby branch Though the legend of the white squirrel may lead some to believe that there is only one, thankfully there are a few of the little pals roaming around various parks in the city They are thought to manage to thrive better in the downtown core than in the wild due to their lack of natural predators despite being tragically awful at camouflaging — a trait that makes them easy to spot for humans that are often understandably excited by a lucky sighting Though the city is sorrowfully down one of the famed furry friends at least there is the hope that the rest of the population is still doing okay The incident is just one more in the long line of "wtf" happenings of this year as the original poster noted when they aptly stated: "This symbolically wraps up 2020 on so many levels for many of us." Jeremy Gilbert The 2024 cherry blossom bloom is starting to kick off all over the city and the trees in Trinity Bellwoods are the latest to show their flowers While most of the city is waiting patiently for word that the High Park cherry blossoms have begun to bloom (likely this weekend) Sakura trees in other locations of the city have kicked off the season The cherry blossoms have started to bloom at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto pic.twitter.com/V0ERBZxQLA While the cherry blossom trees at UofT's Robarts Library have officially earned the title of being the first in the city to bloom this year it looks like the Trinity Bellwoods trees were not far behind plants of all kinds are starting to bloom and blossom and cherry blossoms all over the city are one of the early signs of the warmer days to come If you're holding out for the big show at High Park local Sakura expert Steve not only predicted that the bloom could start as early as Thursday but also spotted the first blossom of the year