Muddy York: Toronto Real Estate Blog

Entries categorized as ‘Neighbourhood Information’

Cooking School Opens in Toronto’s Oldest Farmers’ Market

March 5, 2010 · Leave a Comment

By David Dunkelman

Food has been at the heart of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood in East Toronto dating back to 1803, when Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter declared the area that encompassed Front Street to King Street and Jarvis Street to Church Street as the “Market Block.”

Toronto citizens have been buying local farm-fresh produce at the St. Lawrence Market for over 200 years. So it seems appropriate given its rich tradition in food that the St. Lawrence Market has recently opened The Market Kitchen, a cooking school and event venue.

The Market Kitchen is located on the west mezzanie of the south market. This 2,400 square foot space resembles a funky hard loft with exposed brick, soaring original windows, and polished hardwood floors. An open view of the marketplace below adds ambiance and a sense of inspiration to those pursuing culinary excellence.

No kitchen would be complete without the proper equipment and The Market Kitchen is certainly fortunate in this regard; it’s been fully outfitted with state-of-the-art appliances courtesy of Miele, the title sponsor of this venue.

The Market Gallery offers cooking classes for all levels as well as hosting a myriad of events held year round that cover an eclectic range of topics. The following is just a sample of events: “Cooking with coffee,”  “Chocolate and lots of it,” “Interactive demo: Indian Cuisine,” and  “Wine tasting and jazz.”

The Market Kitchen also conducts events for couples and children. It also hosts a popular Celebrity Chef series that gives participants the opportunity to be in the kitchen with some of Canada’s critically acclaimed chefs, including the likes of Anna Olson.

For  more information on The Market Kitchen at St. Lawrence Market visit the website www.stlawrencemarket.com.

David Dunkelman is a Broker and ABR* with Royal Lepage R.E.S.Ltd/Johnston and Daniel Division.  David is also the Author of “Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods”. *ABR* The Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate BUYER’S AGENT Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS® who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria.

Categories: Neighbourhood Information · Saint Lawrence Market
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Jameson Avenue: Faces in the Crowd

February 27, 2010 · Leave a Comment

By David Dunkelman

Jameson Avenue in West Toronto stretches from the pedestrian walkway at Lakeshore Blvd. to the hustle and bustle of Queen Street West. It’s a wide boulevard lined with walk-up and high-rise apartment buildings. Parkdale Collegiate, one of Toronto’s oldest high schools, is located along this route.

The wide, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks are lined with street planters designed to enhance the streetscape and return Jameson Avenue to the prominence it enjoyed from the mid-1800s to early 1900s, when Parkdale was one of Toronto’s  elite neighbourhoods.

The street planters — over 70 of them — were recently enhanced with over 560 photographs imprinted on their concrete bases. These include black-and-white photos of past and current residents, as well as archival images from the neighbourhood.

This project, known as Impressions, is one of North America’s largest outdoor street photo installations. This street gallery was created by artist Jim Bravo and photographer Kate Young, with enthusiastic participation from local residents.

Impressions was coordinated by Mural Routes, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing communities through public art murals. Support was also provided by the city of Toronto Public Realm Section –  Transportation Services. The featured photos are lively and entertaining and bring a sense of community to the streetscape. It is this type of initiative that is helping to revitalize the Parkdale neighbourhood.

David Dunkelman is a Broker and ABR* with Royal Lepage R.E.S.Ltd/Johnston and Daniel Division.  David is also the Author of “Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods”. *ABR* The Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate BUYER’S AGENT Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS® who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria.

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Toronto’s Underground City: Follow the PATH

February 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment

By David Dunkelman

Toronto can experience some pretty harsh winters. Want to avoid them? Check out PATH, Downtown Toronto’s underground walkway that links 27 kilometres (16 miles) of shopping, food courts, services and entertainment destinations. PATH is accessible from most Toronto neighbourhoods via the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line.

PATH provides an ice- and snow-free shopping experience in the winter and a refreshing air conditioned marketplace in the summer. Approximately 100,000 daily commuters and thousands of tourists make PATH one of Toronto’s busiest pedestrian corridors.

PATH originated in 1900 when the T. Eaton Co. joined its main store to its bargain annex by way of a tunnel. When Union Station opened in 1927 a tunnel was created to connect it to the Fairmount Royal York Hotel. The 1970s saw great expansion of PATH when a tunnel was built connecting the Richmond Adelaide Centre to the Sheraton Centre.

PATH was officially recognized and branded by the city of Toronto in the 1980s. Signage was introduced in the 1990s to help make navigation easier. PATH does not follow the grid patterns of the streets above so without all the excellent signage now in place it would be easy to get lost.

PATH received a Guinness World Records acknowledgement as the largest underground shopping complex. More than 50 buildings and office towers connect to PATH in addition to five subway stations, two department  stores, six major hotels and a railway and bus terminal. The Hockey Hall of Fame, Roy Thomson Hall, Air Canada Centre, Rogers Centre, CN Tower, City Hall and Metro Hall are all connected through PATH. PATH basically encompasses an area from Dundas Street south to Front Street and from Yonge Street to University Avenue with some extensions to the west. PATH is a whole other world, worth checking out.

David Dunkelman is a Broker and ABR* with Royal Lepage R.E.S.Ltd/Johnston and Daniel Division.  David is also the Author of “Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods”. *ABR* The Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate BUYER’S AGENT Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS® who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria.

Categories: Neighbourhood Information
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Toronto: A Winter Recreational Wonderland

February 15, 2010 · Leave a Comment

By David Dunkelman

Once you’ve embraced the idea that winter is here and is not going away until spring, take a deep breath — and take in the beauty of  Toronto after a fresh snowfall with the bright sun reflecting off the frozen tundra. Then, get outdoors and enjoy some of the best recreational opportunities Toronto has to offer. Toronto offers a plethora of winter activities for people of all ages right across the city. Many of these involve little or no cost, which is a nice bonus and should warm the heart, if not your pocketbook.

Why not start with an old favourite — tobogganing? The hardest part about this pass time is choosing your toboggan. Do you go with the traditional sled or the simple synthetic carpet, or do you go all out and get a supped-up racer with a steering wheel? Simply head out to your local Canadian Tire, WalMart or toy or hardware store to discover the different types available and make your purchase.

Once you have your toboggan, choose from among Toronto’s favourite hills and many great runs at Toronto parks. In Downtown Toronto you’ll find runs at Trinity Bellwoods Park, Bickford Park and Christie Pitts. In West Toronto High Park and Rennie Park are tops. Centennial Park and West Deane Park are popular spots for tobogganing in Etobicoke. In Midtown, Balfour Park at the Rosehill Reservoir and Cedarvale Park are both great for kids. In North Toronto there are terrific toboggan runs at Sherwood Park, as well as starter runs at Lawrence Park and at Otter Creek. North York residents know to check out Earl Bales Park. East Toronto has the most famous toboggan hill in the city at Riverdale Park East, where tobogganers enjoy spectacular views of the city skyline. Greenwood Park also has some nice starter runs for young kids. In Scarborough Adams Park and Thomson Memorial Park are popular.

Tobogganing can be great exercise and great fun for the whole family, but please remember to have the little ones wear helmets. Stay alert and be aware not to toboggan anywhere near trees or other objects that can obstruct the path of a toboggan and cause injuries, and be respectful about sharing the hills with other toboganners so that there are no unnecessary collisions.

If tobogganing is not your thing, maybe skiing or snowboarding is. No need to drive all the way up north — you can do those right here in the city. Toronto has two public ski hills at Earl Bales Ski & Snowboard Centre (Earl Bales Park, 4169 Bathurst Street) in North York and Centennial Park Ski and Snowboard Centre (Centennial Park, 256 Centennial Park Road) in Etobicoke. Both centres offer a variety of programs for all ages and skill levels. Private lessons and clinics are available. There is also a March Break camp. Limited rentals are available on-site for skis and equipment. For those who cannot get away during the day or weekend, there are even opportunities for night skiing.

If hills (and going down them) are not your thing, there is always ice skating, the great Canadian pastime. Toronto has a myriad of indoor and outdoor facilities where you can lace up and skate to your heart’s content. Leisure skate programs and schedules vary from rink to rink but can include the following: Parent and Tot Skate, Youth/Teen Skate, Adult Skate, Older Adult Skate, Family Skate, Public Skate (all ages) and even shinny hockey. The Public and Family Skate is free for all ages. There is a $3 fee for the adult skate in the indoor arenas only. In addition to leisure skating Toronto’s ice rinks can be booked for pickup hockey and birthday parties. Of course, organized hockey leagues and skating clinics are also part of the mix.

A glistening sheet of ice newly groomed by a Zamboni in one of Toronto’s indoor arenas is as smooth a skate as you will find. Indoor arenas are open for leisure skating programs from October through March. For the skating purist there is nothing like the thrill of skating outdoors, breathing fresh air and taking in the scenery. Night skating especially, with a light sprinkle of snow in the air, is simply magical. Cap it all off with a hot chocolate afterwards, and the outing is simply perfect. Toronto’s outdoor rinks are open from December 5, 2009 until February 28, 2010. Enjoy!

David Dunkelman is a Broker and ABR* with Royal Lepage R.E.S.Ltd/Johnston and Daniel Division.  David is also the Author of “Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods”. *ABR* The Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate BUYER’S AGENT Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS® who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria.

Categories: Neighbourhood Information
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Is a neighborhood with a Homeowners’ Association for you?

February 14, 2010 · 1 Comment

A homeowners’ association, or HOA, is an entity that creates and enforces rules for a community and collects monthly or annual fees. A HOA is a non-profit institution that is made up of homeowners that may or may not be related to a management company. The main purpose of the HOA is to maintain a consistency among the homes in the area to keep property values stable. Know before you enter into a purchase agreement if there will be a HOA involved.

Some of the negative aspects of a HOA include that they may be poorly managed. They are typically not for profit and because you are paying dues and not for their services, there is little recourse for you. HOA’s are typically volunteers with other jobs who cannot give their full time to regular HOA concerns. HOA’s can have the power to force you into foreclosure of put a lien on your home if you do not pay your dues in time.

If you want to rent or sell, you may need the HOA’s approval when choosing your occupant, which may affect moving or renting in a specific timeline. Days or times the new occupants can move in as well as the setting of your rent price can all be regulated.

HOA’s can dictate your landscaping choices, including how you trim your hedges, mow your lawn, and which flowers you can or cannot plant. They can tell you if you can or cannot have certain exterior colours, basketball hoops, swing sets, solar panels, clotheslines, satellite dishes, and pets.
With all of these restrictions, why would someone choose to live somewhere with a homeowners’ association? Because while all of those restrictions apply to you, they also apply to your neighbours. No more garden gnomes or car parts on the lawn, no overgrown weeds and bushes, no decrepit and broken appliances on the back porch for months at a time and no “artistic” exterior decor choices.

HOA’s can provide shared tennis courts, pools, gyms or walking paths that would ordinarily not be affordable for many homeowners. Each home remains presentable and property values do not decline, and sidewalks, street signs and the community landscaping are all maintained propertly.  Giving up a few flexibilities when it comes to your choice in the way your home looks can be a small price to pay for the benefits of a HOA, or it can literally be a large price to pay if there are high monthly fees. Research the HOA if you are moving into a community governed by one, and talk to neighbours to learn about their previous experiences, good or bad.

Categories: Neighbourhood Information
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The Tollkeeper’s Cottage: Open to the Public

February 12, 2010 · Leave a Comment

By David Dunkelman

In the early 1800s, Toronto was still largely covered in forest, making travel from one community to another—to engage in commerce or social visits—very difficult.

However, Toronto’s early European settlers did find a handful of First Nations trading routes, which they adopted as a means of passage through various parts of the city.

One of these early routes was the Davenport trail, an ancient First Nations footpath that was part of an overland route connecting Montreal to Niagara. It was heavily used by French fur traders in the 1600s and later by the first European settlers to this area in the 1790s.

In the early 1800s the Davenport trail was converted into a roadway by a private company that built and maintained the road in return for tolls that all users were required to pay.

There were five tollgates built between the Humber and Don rivers. Miraculously, one of these tollkeeper’s cottages is still around. It was flagged by a local resident who had information that the structure next door to her home on nearby Howland Avenue had been relocated from Davenport Road and was a former tollkeeper’s cottage. A second former resident collaborated her story.

Extensive research by local history experts validated this finding and immediate steps were made to preserve and restore the cottage, which was sitting in the path of development. After many generous volunteer hours and donations, and many years of hard work, The Tollkeeper’s Cottage—formerly known as Tollgate #3—was finally moved back to its rightful place in a bucolic park setting on the northwest corner of Davenport Road and Bathurst Street in Midtown Toronto. The Tollkeeper’s Cottage is believed to be the only early tollhouse still surviving anywhere in Canada.

The Tollkeeper’s Cottage officially opened on July 1, 2008. It is open to the public on Saturdays, and has an addition which accommodates school groups and other events. For more information on this piece of history visit www.tollkeeperscottage.ca.

David Dunkelman is a Broker and ABR* with Royal Lepage R.E.S.Ltd/Johnston and Daniel Division.  David is also the Author of “Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods”. *ABR* The Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate BUYER’S AGENT Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS® who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria.

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Toronto’s Ukrainian Community

January 31, 2010 · 1 Comment

By Krystyna Cap

Ask most Canadians where the heart of the Ukrainian Diaspora can be found in this country and they’ll likely answer Alberta or Manitoba, calling to mind images of Clifford Sifton’s sheepskin-clad farmers who began settling the Canadian west in the 1890s. Few would cite Toronto, despite our city’s own distinct Ukrainian heritage, now over a century old. Yet, the War of 1812 brought the first Ukrainians to the city (then called York) as mercenary soldiers. For their service in the de Meuron and de Watteville battalions, these men were granted land near present-day Perth, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba, although it was not until the late nineteenth century that the first Ukrainian immigrants began arriving in significant numbers to form the “nuclei for [Ontario's] Ukrainian communities today.” [1]

For the complete article, click here

Source:  Toronto Heritage Organization

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Improvements in store for “Upper Avenue”

December 19, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Avenue Road is certainly one of the signature streets in Toronto—yet somehow it seems the uppermost stretch of this important city street has been somewhat neglected and underutilized. That is about to change, with the recent completion of a study of Avenue Road between Lawrence and Wilson avenues.

The Avenue Road study conducted by the city of Toronto was led by the firm of Brook Mcllroy Planning + Urban Design/Pace Architects in association with Poulos + Chung Limited. The study sought input from the local community through three public open houses and seven local advisory committee meetings. The local advisory committee comprised area residents, business owners, and property owners.

The study produced five main recommendations: maintain village atmosphere and pedestrian friendly streetscape; encourage more mixed-use development incorporating retail together with commercial and residential uses; greening of Avenue Road to include the creation of new parks and open spaces and green development; build on the brand “Upper Avenue” through gateways, public art, street signage, street furniture, and overall streetscaping and landscaping.

The Avenue Road Study concluded that this two-kilometer stretch should retain its predominantly retail character, but that it should better integrate into the surrounding neighbourhoods and provide a focal point for local residents not just as a place to shop but also as a hub for social interaction and pride of ownership within the community. The next few years will provide significant changes to this stretch of Avenue Road. If all goes as well as expected, “Upper Avenue” will be a model for revitalization for other avenues across the city of Toronto.

Source:  Courtesy of the Toronto Neighbourhood Guide

Categories: General Information · Neighbourhood Information
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Toronto’s Cavalcade of Lights

November 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment

From Nov. 28, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009, Toronto’s 43rd annual Cavalcade of Lights will be hosted at Nathan Phillips Square. cc lights toronto

Nathan Phillips Square is named after the former Toronto mayor and opened in 1865.  It hosts concerts, a weekly farmer’ market and other public events and demonstrations. It is also above one of the largest underground parking garages in the world, which can hold up to 2,400 vehicles. It sits in front of city call and the large reflecting pool acts as a skating rink in the winter months. Visitors can also shop at numerous concession stands and rent skates.

The official opening celebrations will take place on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. with the official Toronto Christmas tree lighting and music by Stephen Page of the Barenaked Ladies, Keshia Chante and other artists. A spectacular fireworks display will take place at 8:00 p.m. during a skating party on the ice rink. Several more skating parties will take place during the month of December on Saturdays, featuring musical acts like Jully Black and Faber Drive. During the afternoon a fair trade market will be open featuring Christmas decorations and crafts.

In 1958, 420 design submissions for Nathan Phillips Square were considered, but Finnish architect Viljo Revell’s design was chosen, and work began in 1961.  The “Freedom Arches”, the three large arches that stretch over the reflecting pool, were erected in 1989 and contain an actual peace of the Berlin Wall at the base of the center arch, where a plaque reads: The Citizens of Toronto dedicate these arches to the millions who struggled including Canadians, to gain and defend freedom and to the tens of millions who suffered and died for the lack of it. May all that we do be worthy of them. Only in freedom can the Human Spirit soar. Against the Human drive for freedom nothing can long succeed.

Nathan Phillips Square is definitely the heart of Toronto.

Categories: General Information · Neighbourhood Information
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