Who would buy this town hall?
You have seen the sign. The former Leaside Town Hall at the corner of McRae and Randolph is for sale. But who would buy a former town hall attached to a fire hall, once the home of the Leaside Fire...
View ArticleSome racy Leaside stories
Target is coming soon to Thorncliffe, which as we were recently reminded by Lorna Krawchuk, was a part of the former Town of Leaside. Originally however, only a small part of Thorncliffe was located in...
View ArticleLooking back into our history
Canada’s first airmail flight The noise complaints resulting from recent changes to aircraft flight paths for Pearson International Airport have reminded me that one of Canada’s first airfields was...
View ArticleThe stars who played with George Sayliss
Leasiders and hockey fans across Canada were disappointed when our team lost to Russia in the recent World Junior Hockey Tournament. But that wasn’t the first time and it will not be the last time a...
View ArticleLast chance to get back the Leaside Lions club
Unfortunately, the best days of local service clubs appear to be behind us. But from the 1940s into the 1980s the Leaside Lions Club was a major force in our community, with nearly 200 members at one...
View ArticleLeaside ❤ Bennington
Our former premier Mike Harris now lives in Bennington Heights. When I met him recently Mike said, “Nobody cares about Bennington Heights.” Well Mike, that’s hard to believe, but I can tell you, we...
View ArticleChanging the Official Plan can save us
Before there was a Town of Leaside, there was a Canada Wire and Cable (CWC). In November 1912 the CWC purchased 16 acres of land where the SmartCentres’ big box stores stand today. The Town of Leaside...
View ArticleHow long before Parkhurst, other industries are gone?
Although virtually everything we wear comes from off shore, one of the very few Canadian clothing manufacturers still existing is right here in Leaside. Parkhurst Knitting has been making sweaters,...
View ArticleOur old garbage dump still vents methane
When you put your garbage bin, your recycling bin or your green bin at the curb for pickup, do you ever wonder where the Town of Leaside used to put that garbage? Why in the Don Valley of course! The...
View ArticleOnly two shopping strips in my old days
Did you see the 100-year anniversary exhibit called the Layers of Leaside? For those who, like me, grew up here it brought back a lot of memories, especially when I read the Leaside Business Directory...
View ArticleHow soon we’ve forgotten the big mud slide
Last December we suffered through a horrific ice storm followed by a deep freeze. Almost everyone was without power and heat for an extended period of time. It was an experience we are not likely to...
View ArticleTime to man the barricades
Change is in the works, drastic change to the way in which Leasiders have been dealing with redevelopment proposals. That change is known as the Development Permit System (DPS). DPS is authorized by...
View ArticleA crucial meeting for our community
On July 8 the Toronto City Council officially implemented the Development Permit System by amending the city’s Official Plan to read: “The entire City of Toronto is identified by this policy as a...
View ArticleThe Leaside Gang that made Canada Happy
During the 1940s when I came home from school for lunch our radio would always be tuned to CBL. After the BBC news “direct from London,” and the Farm and Home broadcast, the Dominion Observatory in...
View ArticleLittle known Bennington home of a local author
A great deal is known and has been written about the old Lea and Elgie homes in our community but very few of us are aware of the story of 422 Heath St. East in Bennington Heights. Built about 1910 or...
View ArticleWhen a teacher spanked you over her knee
Last October Rolph Road school celebrated its 75th anniversary. It brought back a lot of memories. The school opened in 1939. I startedthere in 1940. At that time the school was both an elementary...
View ArticleLet’s move Leaside to another ward
I have just published a book entitled Governing Toronto: Bringing back the city that worked. In it I trace the growth and governance of the city from its creation in 1834 through its successful Metro...
View ArticleLeaside was once bankrupt
Did you know that during the Great Depression of the 1930s the Town of Leaside was bankrupt? I didn’t know that until I wrote my book, Governing Toronto: Bringing back the city that worked. What I did...
View ArticleYou once had to take a train to Leaside
Until 1927 the only way you could get to Leaside by automobile was to drive from Yonge St. along Government Rd. (now Merton St. and McRae Dr.), constructed during World War I as a supply route to the...
View ArticleLow rise defines Leaside’s physical character
With the physical character of Leaside under continuing attack from high rise condominium apartment developers these days, it is reassuring to drive along Moore Ave. to see the low rise Crestview...
View ArticleIn the old days we ran our own show
As you know the Toronto Official Plan currently designates land east of Laird and south of Eglinton as the Leaside Employment Area. But do you remember when Leaside had its own official plan? That was...
View ArticleWhy Leaside home prices keep rising
Have you ever wondered why the price of a single family detached home in Leaside and elsewhere in Toronto is going through the roof? I often wonder whether my children and grandchildren will ever be...
View ArticleCanada’s 150th: Celebrating Leaside’s colourful Senator Royce Frith
This year as we mark the 150th anniversary of our country, we should also celebrate the part that Leasiders have played in it. Long-time residents, particularly those who live in North Leaside, will...
View ArticleLeaside’s boxing great SHAWN O’SULLIVAN
Do you remember when Leasider Shawn O’Sullivan won the gold medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in 1981 and again in 1983? At the time he was the toast of the town and the Borough of East...
View ArticleLeaside’s The Honourable Barbara Leaman McDougall
Does the name Barbara Leaman ring a bell? What about the name Barbara McDougall? In fact, they are one and the same person. You may remember Barbara from school or from the Leaside neighbourhood or as...
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