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Silver Dollar Room closing after almost 60 years

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It's been a brutal start to the year for Toronto's live music scene, and now the Silver Dollar Room joins the ranks of venues slated to close. The news broke after Toronto band The Highest Order announced it was playing a goodbye show at the end of February in anticipation of the closure.

Reached by email, the club's booker Dan Burke confirmed that the Silver Dollar's days are numbered. "Right now, it looks like May 1 is our end date," he explained. "The building owner and City Hall have been working on a property re-development for some time - and it was approved about a year ago."

It's not surprising that the talk of the club's future has been mostly quiet. The venue received heritage designation back in January 2015, but that doesn't guarantee the permanent protection of the building so much as make it more difficult to ultimately tear down.

In any case, the club as we know it will be shutting down. We don't know yet about demolition plans. As to the future, there's been talk that a live venue might be a part of new plans for the site, but a shiny replacement could never replicate the nearly 60 year old club.

In the meantime, Burke is organizing numerous farewell shows. "I've been in touch with many of the best and brightest artists we've worked with in recent years, and a lot of them are on board for a final play at the club."

Other noteworthy venues to shut down in Toronto include Hugh's Room (though there's hope of a return), Soybomb HQ, the Hoxton, and (tonight) the Central. It's a scary time to be a live music fan in Toronto. 


Toronto's Choir! Choir! Choir! is throwing a huge protest sing-along

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If you've been to any of the Toronto rallies, vigils, or protests lately, you know there's been chanting going on. It's at times powerful, at others peaceful, and always a rhythmic way of making voices heard. 

Which is why it only makes sense that Choir! Choir! Choir! organize their own rally, gathering folks together for one night of very loud singing.

On Monday, February 6, C!C!C! invite folks to The Phoenix for a gigantic sing-along to L.A. artist Milck's song "I Can't Keep Quiet." The song was also sung repeatedly during the women's marches two weekends ago

Milck will be at the ticketed all ages event, which starts at 7 p.m., and all proceeds will go to the American Civil Liberties Union.

College Street Bar's liquor license might be revoked

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Many neighbours of College Street Bar and Torontonians in general are angry that the establishment has continued to operate despite the owner and a co-worker having been arrested and charged with several offences, including gang sexual assault. 

Now city councillor Mike Layton is pushing to have the bar's liquor license reviewed in hopes of a permanent closure. 

Layton told the CBC that he will be presenting a motion on Wednesday not asking to have the bar's license revoked by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. He's also calling for a review of workplace safety protocols. 

A spokesperson for Toronto's Municipal Licensing & Standards division told the CBC that the bar's current license is valid.

Layton is hoping the motion might speed up the act of shutting down the bar, which he says would show that the city stands against what allegedly happened there last December.

Vigil at Nathan Phillips Square for mosque shooting victims

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There have already been Toronto vigils paying tribute to the victims of the Quebec City Mosque tragedy, which coincided with tributes happening in Quebec and Ottawa. 

But Wednesday's vigil at Nathan Phillips Square will be different, if anything because of its shear size. 

"There are things that you need to stand up for and make your voice heard and support what's right," says Shahana Nassor, an international student at York University from Madagascar who's been in Toronto for over three years studying social service work. 

She's one of the vigil's main organizers.

"That's the main reason we decided to organize this vigil, [is] to let people know that we're not going to accept violence."

The vigil will last only from 7-8 p.m. (because they realize it's going to be freezing cold tomorrow), there will be a few speeches from local MPP's and an artist doing spoken word. 

"Canada has been amazing, I've seen love here between everyone every culture, it doesn't matter where people come from and what they believe in," Nassor says.

"There's love here that you don't see anywhere else. It's sad when this kind of thing happens, but especially in Canada."

Drake Hotel opening huge new bar, bakery and event space

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The Drake Hotel has done well with expandingin thepast, and are taking another chance by opening a huge new bakery, bar and event space on Sterling Road in the Lower Junction near the future home of the MOCA.

They're calling the new location the Drake Commissary and it will open in Spring 2017 according to a press release. It will be a fully operating bakery seven days a week during the day, and offer licensed table service in the evening, as well as weekend brunch.

drake commissary

The 8,000-square foot "creative culinary hub and production kitchen"  directly across from MOCA’s new home. Image courtesy of The Drake.

It will also be home base for their new Drake Catering service where they'll be making everything in house. The vision is for this space to be a culinary community hub, coffee shop and bar.

7 things to do in Toronto today

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Today in Toronto we have many reasons to rally together. There's a huge vigil planned at Nathan Phillips Square to pay tribute to the victims of the Quebec City mosque shootings, while Black Lives Matter kicks off Black History month with a panel discussion. On the lighter side, Baby G's launches live punk karaoke. 

Events you might want to check out:

Vigil for the Victims of Quebec City Mosque Shooting (February 1 @ Nathan Phillips Square)
Join hundreds of Torontonians for a peaceful vigil at Nathan Phillips Square at 7 p.m., to commemorate the lives lost in the attack at the Sainte-Foy, Quebec City Mosque.
Good Enough Punk Karoake! (February 1 @ The Baby G)
Good Enough Live Karaoke is launching a new punk themed monthly happening the first Wednesday of every month, in collaboration with Baby G's on Dundas West. Celebrating "Punk" from '69 to '85.
Lit Jam (February 1 @ Harbourfront Centre)
This is an interactive night of storytelling where four teams of emerging writers from Ontario's top writing programs compete by improvising stories on stage. It's a night of spinning yarns like you've never seen before.
#BlackLivesMatter Kickoff Event (February 1 @ Toronto Reference Library, Atrium)
This will be a candid discussion of the achievements of Toronto's Black communities, the Black Lives Matter movement, and race-relations in Canada at this intimate Black History Month launch event.
AFI - The Blood Tour (February 1 @ The Danforth Music Hall)
They've just released their 10h album, AFI (The Blood Album), and have Souvenirs and Nothing and Chain Gang of 1974 opening for them at every show, so catch the California rockers on this short North American tour while you can.
The Shortest Story (February 1 @ Burdock)
Here we have an evening of all-true storytelling on the first day of the shortest month with a theme that seems only fitting: the Shortest Story. 25 storytellers share their personal accounts, in two minutes or less.
Art tour Collective Show (February 1-12 @ Gallery 1313)
Queen West's Gallery 1313 is celebrating 20 years of art shows with works by their newly formed collective. Check out mixed media, ceramics, glass, watercolour, oil and acrylics by 20 artists from 1-6 p.m.

Toronto's nightclub king is taking over the El Mocambo

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As Toronto continues to lose popular music clubs (The Silver Dollar, Hoxton, Soybomb to name a few) one venue owner is taking steps to ensure his spot not only survives, but thrives.

Michael Wekerle, new-ish owner of El Mocambo, and also a financier, tech entrepreneur, and cast member of CBC’s Dragons’ Den is partnering with INK Entertainment to take over operations of the legendary Toronto venue.

Charles Khabouth and his team, the same folks behind Rebel Nightclub, Cube, Uniun, the Veld Music Fest and restaurants like Byblos, Patria and Figo will manage the El Mo and head the venue's revitalization. This is the first real sign of life since its closure announcement in 2014.

The reinvigorated club is set to reopen in Summer of 2017 as a "state-of-the-art live music venue, event space, and recording and production facility, offering great music, food, beverages and merchandise, as well as live streaming capabilities for shows and events," according to a press release.

The recording studio and production part of the revamped venue is being overseen by producer and sound engineer Eddie Kramer, who is the same man that recorded the Rolling Stones during their infamous show at the club in 1977.

Toronto shop wants people to know it’s not a subway station

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One of Toronto’s more upper crust neighbourhoods just got a serious dose of eccentricity in the form of this sign adorning the Yorkville outpost of Deciem: The Abnormal Beauty Company.

Bay station has several exits and entrances on Cumberland, Bellair, and Bay, and this beauty store location is right next to the entrance on adorable little Critchley Lane right near its intersection with Bay.

Though this sign is likely all for attention, it might actually be helpful to rushed commuters who can barely spare a second to look up.

For those unfamiliar, Deceim is a Toronto beauty boutique that makes its own products near Richmond and Parliament and reps all kinds of independent hair, skin, and cosmetics brands.

Their retail locations have been rapidly popping up all over Toronto in neighbourhoods like West Queen West, Kensington and in Cabbagetown.


The Best Family Style Dinners in Toronto

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The best family style dinners in Toronto are all about big portions, a ton of great sides and a homey atmosphere shared with those most dear to you without all the cooking and cleanup. 

Here are the best family style dinners in Toronto.

8 - Piano Piano

This Italian spot on Harbord offers a family style menu of house favourites, all Italian go-tos with pastas like egg yolk ravioli and pumpkin agnolotti.
6 - Campagnolo

This chic environment with a classic baroque feel on Dundas West features creations by borderline celeb chef Craig Harding, so you know everyone in your group will wind up happy with luscious pastas and rich proteins, as well as bottles of expertly selected wine.
2 - Barque Smokehouse

Every Sunday this Roncesvalles barbecue joint serves up a family style dinner ($35/adult, $10/kid) that features huge platters of meat, salads and sides.
7 - Soos

This elevated Malaysian street food restaurant on Ossington pulls no punches on its menu, inscribed simply at the top with the words “feed me.” With this request you may be presented with a variety of dishes such as chili wings, pork belly pancakes, and traditional fare such as laksa and murtabak.
1 - Gusto 101

This bustling spot at King and Portland outdoes all the rest family-style-wise with not only one sharing menu, but five, operating on a sliding scale from lunch up to dinner. Menus typically include crowd-pleasing arancini and carpaccio followed by a selection of pastas and pizzas.
9 - Cafe Belong

This humbly-named restaurant at Evergreen Brick Works is one of few places to feature a vegetarian family menu, as well as a fish-based one, or for those with no restrictions whatsoever a chef’s choice menu. Their menu emphasizes the best locally available ingredients, and thus changes frequently.
5 - Queen and Beaver

This historic Elm Street standby offers their “feasting menu” to parties of five or more. Your British pub extravaganza might centre around English classics like beef wellington, roasts, or pork loin with apple sauce. Or, go hog wild and share a suckling pig.
3 - Momofuku Daisho

This second floor oasis next to the Shangri-La hotel at University and Adelaide serves up large format meals featuring huge portions of entrees such as salt and pepper lobster, brisket, ribeye, the bo sam wraps.
4 - 7 Numbers (Eglinton)

The family style menu at this Italian restaurant with locations on the Danforth and Eglinton West doesn’t even require booking ahead of time, but it does require extreme hunger. An assortment of antipasti such as calamari and caprese salad is followed by the day’s primi pastas, and your choice of entree.

The top 10 new restaurant openings in Toronto for January

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New restaurant openings in Toronto for January are setting us up for a wildly exciting year. We got our first deep dish pizza joint and a new Indian street food restaurant, as well as a destination for porridge lovers. What will local chefs think of next?

Here are my picks for the top ten new restaurant openings in Toronto for January.

Leela

This new Indian food bar in the Junction comes to us from the folks behind Amaya. They’re bringing a totally new twist to the city's Indian restaurant scene with roadside-style food in the form of desi tacos, smoked butter chicken and spicy salads.

La Banane

From chef Brandon Olsen comes brand new French restaurant La Banane, serving up jaw-dropping dishes such as pastry-encrusted bass, sweetbreads with sauce, and a much-instagrammed chocolate egg named after Ziggy Stardust.

Double D's

It’s finally arrived: Toronto’s first-ever Chicago-style deep dish pizza joint. At this Gerrard East spot you can customize your own buttery, saucy, super-thick pie or choose from prescribed combos like Chicago classic with pepperoni and sausage, jalapeno blue, or the vegetarian Farmer’s Market.

Pouridge

Though this Yorkville cafe only serves pourover coffee and a limited menu of small, healthy bowls like house made yogurt, soup, risotto, and of course, porridge, they’re doing it right with the help of Kosher chef wiz Eran Marom of Marron.

The Green Wood

This Leslieville restaurant is a cafe and lunch spot by day and takes on a gastropub feel at night, though great drinks, food and coffee are available all hours. The celeriac schnitzel sandwich is a must for Toronto vegetarians, and all their ingredients come from ethical, local companies.

Charidise

A new fast casual concept in Baldwin Village, this place serves up a huge range of Taiwanese drinks and meals that will provide closeby university students with much-needed fuel.

Conspiracy Pizza

Conspiracy Pizza in Leaside was engineered by the same folks at Adamson’s BBQ. Pizzas have names like Moon Landing Was a Hoax, and the Grassy Knoll is topped with two kinds of mushrooms and two kinds of kale.

Nutbar

This health-focused cafe near Summerhill subway station has taken up residence in a little basement corner spot, serving nutritious toasts topped with avocado or cashew butter, and their own house-made nut milk is in almost everything on the menu.

Japanhako

This yakitori house has joined the multitude of Asian restaurants in Koreatown, and looks to be holding its own with a menu of sashimi, sushi, skewers and donburi as well as premium sake.

Liberty Commons at Big Rock Brewery

This long-awaited brewpub will be yet another place for beer in Liberty Village with a slick interior and a menu that extends from lunch to dinner serving pub classics like beer nuts, wings, and calamari along with baked bean poutine.

Someone is documenting everything that's broken on the TTC

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Have you been noticing loads of busted PRESTO fare gates on the TTC? What about inoperative escalators, turnstiles, and transfer machines? Lest you think you're alone, a new Instagram feed is devoted to documenting all that's broken on the TTC.

A photo posted by Broken TTC (@brokenttc) on

The account is in its infancy, but you can imagine that the power of Toronto's angry crowd of commuters will provide a steady stream of photos capturing the various bits of malfunctioning equipment spotted on our often beleaguered transit system.

A photo posted by Broken TTC (@brokenttc) on

So far, the photos have featured lots of PRESTO infrastructure, but also vehicle doors, next vehicle screens, and token slots.

A photo posted by Broken TTC (@brokenttc) on

Commuters are encouraged to share their photos at brokenttc416@gmail.com or via Instagram.

Toronto might soon have a lot fewer patios

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Earlier this week there was a meeting at city hall that could change patio culture in Toronto forever, and not in a good way.

Annual licensing fees for patio spaces paid by restaurants, bars and cafes to the city haven't been reviewed since the GTA amalgamation in 1998, but in this most recent meeting the city is proposing a 350-400% tax increase. That's just below what patios in Manhattan currently pay. 

It means existing bars, restaurants and cafes with sidewalk patios would have to pay upwards of $10,000 at the beginning of each year to operate their outdoor space.

While this fee would be phased in over time to existing licenses, it would take place immediately for any new patio applications.

"The war on fun continues in the city of Toronto," says Richard Pope, owner of Northwood on Bloorcourt. "They do want to kill patios, there's no question about that. They make it harder and harder and this seems like a back handed effort to continue that."

Pope currently pays $1,400 to the city to operate his patio, but once these new taxes come in, he would be paying $14,000 and that means he'd have to downsize the patio space or close it down all together.

This City of Toronto document outlines the current fees businesses need to pay the city, and you can watch the entire Sidewalk Cafes and Marketing Displays: Fee Review - Municipal Licensing and Standards video via the city's YouTube channel. 

"Patios create vibrancy in the neighbourhood, more people are walking around, it creates a safer, more interesting neighbourhood," Pope says. "The city is too afraid politically to raise property taxes so they're coming for small businesses."

In a statement e-mailed to us from Carleton Grant, Director, Policy and Strategic Support at the City of Toronto, he says the city is reviewing the bylaws and nothing is final.

"At this meeting we heard very clearly that the initial proposed permit fees, as presented, were too high.  This was valuable feedback for us, and will be taken carefully into consideration during the review, which is ongoing and has not been finalized."

City staff will prepare a report with recommendations in April, 2017.

The photos of the month in Toronto for January

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From icy swimming sessions to massive protests to dense fog cover, January proved to be a jam-packed month for Toronto photographers. There was a little bit of everything on offer, including beautiful views of our city in the midst of winter. Despite receiving very little sunlight all month, these photos show off the city in its finest fashion.

Waterfront LCBO will become enormous condo development

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It's been known for some time that the LCBO's headquarters on Queens Quay in Toronto would become the site of a condo development, but only recently has the full scale of the project come to light via planning documents filed with the city.

Along with a shiny new 24-storey home base for the LCBO (seen above), redevelopment plans call for a series of soaring condo towers that will completely reshape the Lower Yonge portion of the waterfront in conjunction with other projects like 1-7 Yonge Street

lcbo condos toronto

Details about the project have been unveiled in stages (which Urban Toronto has been tracking), but over and above the LCBO's headquarters, the plans promise two towers at 89 storeys, one at 80, another at 79, and a final tower of a mere 75 storeys. Collectively, these buildings would add well over 7,000 condo units to the city. 

In other words, the size of the development is enormous. So much so that it's been divided into blocks. The preliminary designs for the 79 and 80 storey buildings that will make up "Block 2" have been most recently submitted to the city. 

lcbo condos torontoAs others have pointed out, they look a hell of a lot like ICE Condos, which were also designed by architectsAlliance. The relationship between their boxy shared podium and curved upper floors doesn't appeal to my eye, but there are a few positives worth noting here.

The plan is to connect the base of these condos to a future extension of the PATH network, which significantly expand our underground city. Perhaps more importantly, of the 1,927 units proposed, 191 would be three or more bedrooms. Multi-bedroom condos are desperately needed in a housing market so short on inventory. 

The site master plan also calls for almost 30,000 square feet of retail space and a public school, so you won't have the isolation that city place residents initially complained of when that vertical neighbourhood sprouted.  

There's plenty more to be revealed about this development in the coming months, but it already sounds like it's going to change the way we think about Lower Yonge Street and the Eastern Waterfront.

Director X's Nuit Blanche globe is on tour with Drake

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Remember that giant burning ball of fire on display at City Hall last October during Nuit Blanche?

It was called Death of the Sun, and it was a large-scale installation piece from Director X, you know, the guy responsible for Rihanna's "Work," Kendrick Lamar's "King Kunta," and Drake's "Hotline Bling."

It was one of the most impressive pieces at last year's all-night art party, and now it's on tour with Drake in Europe.

Posts on Drake's Instagram show the enormous ball of flames on stage with him surrounded by smoke and other pyrotechnic effects.

🌕

A photo posted by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on

No word on if he'll bring the art piece with him during future North American dates, but hopefully his More Life project will inspire him to do so.


5 things the west side does best in Toronto

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The east side vs. west debate is foundational to Toronto's identity. Even if we don't agree on what the dividing line is, allegiances to one side or the other tend to be fierce. There's certainly no denying the east and west have a different vibe from one another. To figure out why that is, all you have to do is look at each one's strengths.

Here are 5 things the west side does best in Toronto.

Restaurants

The west side of Toronto trumps the east for selection of restaurants handily. It's also where the city's fine dining scene is primarily located thanks to the Financial District and King West. There are plenty of reasons for the higher number of restaurants on the west, from foot traffic to demographics.  

Bars and nightlife

Perhaps the most obvious difference between each side of Toronto, the majority of nightlife is concentrated in the west. There's a far wider selection of bars and clubs west of Yonge, the party tends to go much later, and there's an entire industry of late night eats in place to support hungry folks after 2 a.m.

Art galleries and cultural institutions

The west does arts and culture the best in Toronto thanks to major institutions like the AGO, ROM, TIFF, MOCA, the TSO, and Harbourfront Centre, but also because the overwhelming majority of independent art galleries are located on this side of the city.

Hotels

The east side will get a boost from the Broadview Hotel, but it'll hardly make a dent in the dominance the west enjoys in this area. Virtually every important hotel in the city is located here, which only makes sense given the previous three items on this list. Hotels like to be near the action promised by restaurants, nightlife, and cultural attractions.

Transit

Subways, subways, subways. Thanks to the University/Spadina Line, the west enjoys better north/south transit options than the east, something that will only become more pronounced as the Spadina Extension opens a gateway to York University and beyond. Don't forget Toronto's bike lane network, either. There's considerably more options in the west.

Stay tuned for what the east side does best in Toronto.

Dangerous Dan's is closing

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Toronto will say goodbye to one of its most famous burger joints soon. That's because Dangerous Dan's will be packing up their buns on May 29.

Pizza Nova bought the building they're it at the corner of Queen and Broadview and their lease is up. Owner James McKinnon tried to sell the business but instead it's just going to close.

"I'm disappointed, but it's a business decision," McKinnon says. "I could have renewed but I don't think i would have made any money. Basically they wanted an 80% rent increase and repairs. I've renewed my lease four times before and I can tell the difference when a landlord wants you to renew and when they don't."

McKinnon couldn't reach a deal with the new owners, and despite being excited about the incoming Broadview Hotel across the street, he couldn't afford to keep the business open. 

"I'm shocked that I outlasted Jilly's, they were like a radioactive cockroach," he says. "I was hoping to be around for when it opened, but unless I strike a deal with Pizza Nova, it's not going to happen."

8 things to do in Toronto today

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Today in Toronto is the day you finally get sorted into your house. It's the Harry Potter party at the Phoenix. While details are sparse, organizers promise a magical night of dancing and dress up for wizarding world aficionados.  

Events you might want to check out:

Harry Potter Party (February 2 @ Phoenix Concert Theatre)
Yup, it's actually happening. At this magical dress-up party, you'll get sorted into a Hogwarts house before dancing the night away. Leave your owls, cats, toads and/or Death Eaters at home.
First Thursday: Shapeshifters (February 2 @ Art Gallery of Ontario)
First Thursday launches its 2017 season with headliner Lido Pimienta. Additional sounds will be provided by DJ DurtyDabz and DJ Ace Dillinger. You can expect surprise pop-ups and projects throughout the entire building.
No Justice, No Peace: From Ferguson to Toronto (February 2-16 @ Gladstone Hotel)
The Ryerson Image Centre and Black Artists' Networks Dialogue have teamed up to present No Justice, No Peace: From Ferguson to Toronto "a photography exhibit during an era of heightened global protests against systemic violence by police."
Nasty Women (February 2 @ Handlebar)
This is a night for celebrating nasty women with DJ Hunx (Katie Monks of Dilly Dally) spinning bad-ass diva's who are always pushing the envelope including Cher, Kate Bush, Madonna, Missy Eliot, Grimes, Lil Kim, Rihanna and more.
Haus Musik (February 2 @ The Great Hall Toronto)
This is Toronto's alternative classical music night combining live baroque music with electronics. Be transported by sounds of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra along side galactic baroque-inspired electronics by Acote, as Leeka.
Cate Le Bon & Tim Presley (February 2 @ Velvet Underground)
Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon and White Fence's Tim Presley collaborative project Drinks visits Toronto. Their melodic, garage rock vibe will give you Velvet Underground flashbacks. They're the perfect pair.
Roseanne Trivia Night (February 2 @ The End)
Test your knowledge of everyone's favourite blue collar TV family with three rounds of 10 questions. The winner gets a pretty basic prize, just like Roseanne's living room set. Drinks specials all night.
JCDC Launch Party (February 2 @ Holy Oak)
The launch of a brand new season of the acclaimed podcast, Just Chips Dot Com. It's the most wonderful chip event of the year, and there'll be swag, games and lots of chatter about chips.

A history of Toronto transit dreams as told in maps

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If you believe in the multiverse theory, somewhere out there in another reality there's a Toronto transit system that covers the city like a grid with subway and LRT lines exactly where we need them.

In this ideal but inaccessible place, there's a Downtown Relief Line, a subway underneath a stretch of College St. an LRT on Jane St. and electrified GO trains running across the city. 

Toronto has never been short on transit plans, you see. It's the execution and funding that have repeatedly got in the way.  And so our archives are full of unfulfilled proposals and cancelled transit plans. 

For an idea of how good we might have had it, here's a look at the maps of our lost transit dreams.  

Early subway plans

early subway proposal torontoThe idea for a subway in Toronto dates back far before the 1954 opening of the Yonge Line. As early as 1909, the subject of building a subway in Toronto was on the city's agenda, and a series of proposals were considered included one from American engineer James Forgie from New York firm Jacobs & Davies (top photo). 

It would see three subway lines built to service the east, west, and centre of the city. This plan had competition from one devised by assistant city engineer E.L. Cousins, who conceived of lines on Yonge, Queen, and Bloor streets (above map).

Alas, none of the plans were meant to be, as a city referendum killed the project in 1912 when voters balked at the increased taxes required to complete the project. Thanks, guys.

The Queen Street Subway

queen street subway torontoFast forward to 1942, and the next proposal for underground transit in Toronto was pitched as two streetcar subways, one running in a trench behind Queen St. and the other heading northbound between Bay and Yonge streets.

The latter was re-figured as a heavy rail subway in 1945, but the Queen Line remained was eventually killed when the city decided to build the Bloor-Danforth Line. There's even the shell of a connecting station at Queen St. 

The GO Transit ALRT Plan

go icts transit map toronto

At the outset of the 1980s, GO Transit had its own major expansion plans. Paying steep fees to rent space on CN Lines, the idea was to buy adjacent land and run Advanced Light Rapid Transit (similar to the Scarborough RT) on two east-west lines through the GTA.

The project proved troublesome from the beginning thanks to the technology required to operate automatic trains and spiralling costs. It was eventually scraped when Bill Davis stepped down as the Premier and the PCs were eventually voted out in favour of David Petterson's Liberals.

Network 2011

network 2011 ttc torontoBy far the most notorious failed Toronto transit plan of the 1980s, however, was Network 2011. This would have changed anything for the city, with a Downtown Relief Line, a full Sheppard Subway Line, and an eventual LRT or subway across Eglinton to the airport. 

The original plan was modified a number of times as provincial leadership changed, eventually losing each of its elements except the eastern portion of the Sheppard Line. From big dreams to bust in the span of a decade.

Transit City

transit city toronto

The next major expansion plan came from David Miller. Transit City was a bold vision to fill in Toronto's transit holes with seven new LRT lines. It was promptly killed when Rob Ford took office as mayor in 2010, but slowly pieces of it crept back into existence. Projects like the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT were born in the 2007 plan.

Rob and Doug Ford's Subway Plan

rob ford subway plan torontoThis one doesn't really belong on the list because no one ever took it seriously, but there was a time when Rob Ford seriously tried to convince people that Toronto could build subways everywhere. Alas, this was little more than a fantasy map.

Toronto Restaurant Openings: Boxcar Social, Le Notre, Chubby's Jamaican Kitchen

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Toronto Restaurant Openings highlights the latest restaurant openings and closings in Toronto and also gives a preview of what's coming soon. Find us here every Thursday morning.

Open now
Recently reviewed
Opening soon
  • It's been awhile, but Chubby's Jamaican Kitchen, from the Gusto 54 restaurant group looks to be opening this spring at 104 Portland St. if all goes well with the liquor license application.
  • Birch Bistro has taken over the space that was previously Bar Mar, and should open at 623 Mt Pleasant Rd. (at Manor Rd.) in early March.
  • Aiming to be the largest seafood boil restaurant in the GTA at 6,800 sq. ft., Louisiana-inspired Good Catch Boil House will have its soft opening tomorrow at 179 Enterprise Blvd in Markham.
Closed

Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to editors@blogto.com

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